It Will Find You
by SecondSilk
Summary: Xander's real father turns up and the Scoobies go to Hogwarts. A happy ending for book five and season six. Never seen before chapter.
1. Several scenes which are in fact related

It Will Find You.

By Rose Williams.

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Disclaimers: JK Rowling et al owns the Harry Potter universe. Josh Whedon et al own the Buffyverse. I don't even really own this computer.

This is a repost. There are nineteen chapters already written. Daily updates until I get up-to-date.

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Author's Notes: This is in direct contradiction to Don Sample's Harry Potter and the Key of Dagon, which I love. So; the main premise of the story is a long lost relative, maybe two. Giles graduated from Hogwarts and hid his wand. Draco Malfoy will be redeemed. I hope to keep this fic a silly as possible, which is not totally ridiculous.

There is an ongoing collection of challenges I'm answering in this fic. So far they are:

Xander/ Anya. Willow/ Tara. Buffy/ Spike. Hermione/ Draco. Snape [39]/ McGonagall [54]. Giles/ OFC. Gunn/ Fred. Wesley/ Faith.

Angel/ Cordelia. Harry/ Ginny. Dawn/ Ron. Not too lovey dovey.

Xander has magical abilities.

Ginny gets a good nickname.

Gunn and Wesley both have magical heritage (to some extent.) Gunn is Lee Jordan's uncle.

The Fang Gang inc baby Connor and Faith come visit Hogwarts.

Cordelia is a parseltongue.

Wormtail's cheese addiction.

Willow and Tara each build a wand. They eventually Dawn and Anya. Dawn's is rowan wood, possibly with Willow's hair as the core.

Anya writes a book to 'correct' the record on Vengeance Demons, including talking to other demons. Xander is weirded out, but supportive.

Snape uses Veritaserum on Buffy, but doesn't learn anything more than that she was in heaven, not hell.

Giles explains to Willow that she was never introduced to the Wizarding world because the Council ordered him not to.

Snape starts smartening himself up, and the entire school wondering if he is possessed or something.

Black family problems with Xander marrying Anya.

Wizarding test/ requirement for Xander to pass before his next birthday.

Riley makes an appearance, in a psychologist/ strategist and is okay about Spike.

Fred and George perform a Muggle inspired prank on Hagrid/Snape/Dumbledore thinking they are the three tenors and giving a concert, Giles, and one other.

Mention of a non-Scourge vampire.

If you have a challenge you would like me to answer, I'll include if it doesn't clash with what had already been written or challenged. Please email me with 'fanfiction' or the title of this fic in the subject line, thanks.

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Rodney looked first at his wife, and then back to his son.

"You've done well with your life, Xander," he said. "Better than Julie than I could have hoped. You've got your own place, a steady job, a nice girlfriend. So, we'd like to tell you something."

"You were six weeks old when we adopted you," Julie said. "Here are all papers. Willow should be able to track your parents down, shouldn't she?"

Xander nodded numbly. His parents weren't his parents. He wasn't related to Uncle Rory or Cousin Karen. He looked at the pages in front of him. His birth certificate, the form giving him up for adoption, and the papers his parents had signed to claim him.

He looked up at their anxious grins and smiled.

"Thanks," he said. Then he got up and walked out.

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Xander faced Buffy and Willow across the dining room table. They had been sitting like that for about three minutes now. Willow gave it another thirty seconds before someone broke.

"Alright," Xander said, as Willow counted 24. "I had something of an interview with my parents today."

"Interview?" Buffy repeated.

Xander pushed the papers across the table. "I'll need your help, Willow, tracking them down."

"Sure," Willow said, lightly. When she looked up from the papers her eyes held the understanding Xander knew he would find.

Xander had expected her to use the internet. Instead, she simply put her hands over the names on the paper.

"Your mother. She, she died about fifteen years ago."

Xander swallowed. He knew that what he felt was grief. But it was different from when Jesse had died, or Jenny. This was grief for someone he was supposed to meet.

"Your father. I can't find him. He's been hidden by some kind of spell. And the person how knows where he is protected as well. He's in England, though. The closest place I can find is a village called Hogsmeade. I wonder if Giles knows it."

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"Hogsmeade, good lord."

"Is that bad?"

"Maybe. You say that the only person who can tell us where Xander's father is, is hidden somewhere near Hogsmeade?"

"Yes," Willow said for the third time.

"Good lord."

"G-man, tell us something."

"Don't call me that. I'll have to speak to Professor Dumbledore. If Willow's right then someone at Hogwarts knows what's going on. And if someone knows, Dumbledore will too. Although, I'll have to word it carefully, things aren't great there at the moment. Give me the papers."

"Giles, explain," Buffy demanded.

Giles simply waved her away and started going through his drawers.

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"Dear Professor Dumbledore,

It has been too long since I heard anything of the wizarding world. But the signals tend be drowned out in this part of California. Forgive my interruption, I'm sure you're still busy. But a young friend of mine recently discovered he was adopted. His mother's name was Mariana Richardson.

We believe you can help us find his father.

Yours in gratitude,

Rupert Giles."

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Dumbledore sat waiting in his office. He wasn't sure how the meeting would go and was hoping now for quick. Sirius had been on the run before they'd set up the wards on the headquarters, so he should be fine getting from Hogsmeade to the castle as a dog. It was up to the headmaster to wait.

He hoped Harry wasn't reading the delightful map his father had made.

The door to his office opened and Sirius entered. It was hardly a safe place for him to be, but he looked happy about the danger. Dumbledore knew he was doing the right thing.

"Sirius, sit down," Dumbledore said.

Sirius was practically wagging his tail. He looked like he wanted to sniff out the entire room. Dumbledore's tone sobered him a little.

"Harry does not know you're here. Soon you won't be here. No one but I will know where you are. This portkey will take you America. You will have to be disguised as a Muggle."

Sirius looked suspiciously at the headmaster.

"Why am I going to do this?" he asked. "Why am I going halfway across the world and leaving Harry in this mess? How am I going to be able to disguise myself as a Muggle?"

Dumbledore waved his wand as the ceiling and a cloth trunk appeared on the floor between them.

"This is a Muggle suitcase. It contains everything you will need, including instructions on using Muggle appliances."

"Why am I going?" Sirius asked, slowly.

"Mariana had a son."


	2. Sirius explains himself, Anya says stuff

No of this belongs to me, at all. The characters and setting were all created by the creative genii of J.K Rowling and Josh Whedon. Even most of the situations have been thought up by other people.

The last chapter of Harry Potter has been written and is in a safe somewhere.

This chapter is long, and doesn't say anything very dramatic. This story begins the Saturday before Halloween. The 27th of October 2001. Halloween is the Wednesday night.

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**… … …**

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Sirius lugged the suitcase onto the bed of the dingy hotel room. Dumbledore's instructions and supplies had included American Muggle money. Sirius didn't like it. It was worse than English Muggle money, which he had at least gotten used to. He had too much trouble figuring out which bits of paper represented which amount of money.

He was dressed in Muggle clothes, which chaffed. And he was nervous about the fact that he couldn't hide his wand. It was nine o'clock on Saturday morning, so he left the suitcase where it was and stalked out into the street.

The Magic Box was at one end of the main street. He pushed the door open and stalked into the empty shop. The shop assistant came from behind the counter to greet him.

"How can I help you?" she asked, brightly.

"I'd like to see Rupert Giles, please," he said.

She was pretty, but too happy for him to stop and chat too.

She frowned at him and turned around. "Giles!" she shouted.

An older man stuck his head around the door at the back of the shop. He stopped frowning when he saw Sirius.

"Anya, if my customers like you, they'll come back to the shop to see you, and then they'll buy things," Giles said as he walked up to the stranger.

Anya plastered a grin on her face, turning back to Sirius she said, "Thank you for coming, here is Giles."

"Rupert Giles," Giles said, offering his hand.

"Sirius Black," Sirius said, shaking it.

"No, you're not," Anya said.

Giles took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He trusted Mr Black to stand up for himself. Which he did.

"I most certainly am," Sirius shouted, glaring at Anya.

"Then who's the ratty little man?"

"Who?" Sirius asked sharply. Giles gave up speaking to raise his eyebrows.

"The ratty little man who betrayed, ah, Lily, Lily Potter, I think her name was, anyway, it was a while ago and the papers had said Sirius Black, so I just assumed that's who it was. Of course, the police get lots of things wrong. The number of people I've killed, ha. But I don't do that any more."

"You knew Lily Potter?" Sirius demanded.

"No," Anya said, oblivious to Sirius's anxious look. "She was betrayed by this ratty little man. And she wanted vengeance on him. So I went, because I was in the area, and I didn't like the look of him at all, he wasn't at all as handsome as you. But she was dead before I could get her to wish anything. It wasn't a very creative death either."

"Anya," Giles said, noticing Sirius's darkening look. "Can you keep an eye on the front of the shop?"

"You're a Vengeance Demon?"

"Retired. Well, I had my powers stolen. So I own this shop now, or half of it."

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Giles finally managed to asked, after Anya had gone and Sirius had turned his attention back to his countryman.

"I'm looking for my son," Sirius said. "Dumbledore sent me here to talk to you."

Giles stopped before he could put his glasses back on.

"You were Mariana's boyfriend?"

"Seventh year at Hogwarts. I had no idea until, you must have written to Dumbledore. He wanted to get me out of the country, the Aurors and the Ministry are still after me. Where's my son?"

Giles could imagine the man in wizards' robes. The effect would have been intimidating. But in the faded blue jeans and sweatshirt, he looked more like a stray dog.

"Come into my office, please," Giles said, trying not to laugh at the man's indignation. He wasn't as scary as most of the things Giles lived with.

"Sit down."

Sirius sat. He was looking at everything in the office. It was full of odd knives and book he didn't like the look of.

"Interesting stuff you've got here," he said.

"Thank you," Giles said.

"Why am I here?" Sirius asked.

"I assume you knew that," Giles said. He wasn't sure he liked this man, however Anya knew him.

"Where's my son?!" Sirius demanded.

"I don't know right now. Somewhere between his house, Buffy's house and here. He'll come by eventually. We didn't expect you to come by so soon."

"As I said, Dumbledore wanted me out of the country. Things are little tense in my house just now. And the Aurors are after me."

"Why?"

Sirius blinked. This man was vetting him. He was the adult in his son's life, he was looking out for him. Sirius knew he was a suspicious man, and probably wouldn't trust himself if he were in a similar situation.

"Do you know of the Fidelius charm?"

"I'm aware of what it does." Giles said, suddenly intrigued.

"Long or short version?" Sirius asked. He had worked out what to say if he ever needed too.

"How short can you make it?" Giles asked.

Sirius smiled.

"At Hogwarts I was part of a close group of friends, we called ourselves the Marauders. There were four of us. James, me, Remus, and Peter. We were fighting a powerful dark wizard by the time we were twenty. Lily and James, and their son Harry were in danger from the wizard. Dumbledore wanted to perform the Fidelius charm. James and I discussed it. They wanted me to perform the charm. They were being tracked closely. Remus was the most likely suspect as the spy. We knew that everyone would assume I was keeping them safe. So, we asked Peter to perform the charm. Only Lily, James, Peter and I knew. When he betrayed them, everyone thought it was me."

"Except Anya," Giles said.

"Well, she thought it was me. But she saw Peter in Lily's mind. How did she do that?"

"It's a demon thing. You can ask her about if you want. How do things stand now?"

"Harry survived the attack and was accepted at Hogwarts. I discovered the Peter had disguised himself as a rat and was at Hogwarts. When Voldemort rose, Peter would be able to kill Harry. I escaped from Azkaban, found a way into Hogwarts to kill him. Remus was there. I met Harry. He helped me escape after the Ministry took me back into custody. They were going to kill me. Anyway, I've been on the run since then, Wormtail, Peter, escaped back to Voldemort. Voldemort's back, so he's after me too as a way to get to Harry.

"Do you believe me?"

"I do. And I trust you."

"Then tell me about my son."

Giles and Sirius were facing each other close across Giles's office. Sirius was leaning on his elbows, fiddling with the sleeve of his sweater where his wand was hidden. Giles began to see something of Xander in his nervous stand.

"He's a carpenter. He's doing well. He has his own crew on a building site. Anya's his girlfriend," Giles said.

Sirius grinned, knowing Giles was hoping for a different reaction.

"His name's Alexander Harris. Xander. The rest you'll have to talk to him about. I like him. He has a very nice way of looking at things."

"Hey, Giles?!"

Buffy pocked her head around the office door.

"You said training this morning. Part of the get Buffy out bed before sunset deal? Oh, hi, who's this?"

"This is Sirius Black," Giles said. "Is Xander here?"

"The whole gang," Buffy said. "I wanted them to investigate possible causes of the evil lint and that day in the shop. But I think they're just here to chat."

Giles wasn't convinced about the evil lint so he let that comment slide. He turned to Sirius.

"Do you want to come and meet the whole gang?"

"Are they at all like Anya?" Sirius asked cautiously.

"Anya is the worst," Giles admitted. "Unless Spike's here. Or Willow's had coffee. Or Dawn's had too much sugar."

Sirius sighed, but prepared himself to follow Giles.


	3. Xander and Sirius get doughnuts

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

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**… … …**

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The group was gathered around the table, waiting. They looked up expectantly when Giles arrived. They relied on him to know which books to look up.

Xander stood up when he saw who the stranger was. He swallowed and held out his hand.

"I'm Xander," he said.

"Sirius," Sirius said, taking the hand in both his own. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Likewise."

It took a moment before everybody else caught on.

"Oh, oh, oh," Willow said, leaping up. "Ah, I'm Willow. Very pleased to meet you. And … if you want to know any embarrassing stories about Xander, I know heaps."

"Will!" Xander protested.

"I know some, too," Anya called from the counter.

Xander spun around to glare at her.

"They're probably too embarrassing, Anya," Tara told her.

"I don't even want to think about it," Dawn said.

"Thanks, Dawn, now I have," Giles sighed.

"Are we going to research?" Xander asked, "Because I could take Sirius with me to get doughnuts and leave the rest of you with the books."

"That's great," Willow said.

"Make sure you get enough jelly ones," Dawn said. "Giles always eats them."

"And the little powered ones," Tara said. She smiled at Willow, "We like those."

"Buffy? Doughnuts?" Dawn prompted.

"Hmm? Yeah, get what I like," Buffy said.

"Sirius, you've got doughnuts in your part of England?" Xander asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said.

He had been trying to follow who was saying what, but, in the end, he'd just looked dazed.

"Come on, old man, you'll be fine," Xander told him.

"Xander," Giles chastised the boy. After all Sirius wasn't much older than he was.

"He really is my old man," Xander said.

He took Sirius's arm and led him out of the shop.

"You have to tell me about my mom."

Sirius blinked at the sunshine. Despite the light in the shop he'd forgotten, in the short time he'd been there, that it was still light outside.

"You eat doughnuts this early in the morning?" Sirius asked.

He tried to calculate how late it was from the sun, but he didn't know where it should have been.

"Yeah. Or, well, every time we do research I get doughnuts. Cordelia cut me down for it once. But it puts someone on the street while everyone else is together, and vulnerable. I saved them from this dead kid who was trying to blow up the school once. Something was going on they didn't want me to get hurt."

"Okay, first question?"

"Sure."

"Cordelia?"

"First girlfriend."

"Okay. What happened?"

"She walked on me and Willow kissing, which we shouldn't have done, but it was absolutely the last time it was going to happen. She ended up with a piece of pipe through her stomach. Her father got done by the tax people and she's trying to be an actress in LA in between getting mind-numbing visions from the PTB about people in danger."

"PTB?" Sirius asked.

And so they went on Sirius asking for many explanations as Xander described his life and eventually describing some of his own life. He kept mainly to Hogwarts memories and Xander didn't talk about anything in the last two years.

Eventually they made their way around the main street and back to the doughnut shop.

"Does it usually take this long?" Sirius asked.

"Nah, the Magic Box is just down there," Xander pointed. "But I normally walk this way because it mean I don't have to do as much researching."

Sirius chuckled. It seemed his son wasn't really into schoolwork either. This could be fun on top of being freaky and moving and difficult.

"So you were, like, cool at high school?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, I suppose," Sirius said.

They stepped up to the counter. Xander ordered his collection of doughnuts. Sirius took the time to look around. He hadn't been out in the world for fourteen years, and it felt good. Granted it was the Muggle world, and full of strange people, but still very good. And no one was going to run away from him, or try to kill him.

'Or if they do,' he amended, 'it'll be because I'm with my son, not because of me.'

He stepped beside Xander who was chatting up the girl behind the counter.

"Who's your handsome friend?" she asked, nodding over Xander's shoulder.

Xander raised an eyebrow at the man, who had the grace to look embarrassed.

"That's Sirius. He'll be staying in town with us a few days. I might have to send him to get the doughnuts tomorrow."

"You do that. Your girl can get pretty angry."

She handed over the boxes. Sirius handed Xander the wallet Dumbledore had given him and waved him to use his money. Xander handed the money over, returned the wallet and grabbed the boxes. He flashed a grin to the girl and followed Sirius out of the shop.

"Thanks, dad," Xander said.

Sirius growled. It was deep and strong, like a werewolf. Xander looked sharply at the other man.

"When I was your age, you were four," Sirius said.

"That's pretty scary," Xander said. "That's like me and Cordelia having a kid. Argh! scary place. Or me and Faith, given that Cor and I never got that far."

"Faith?"

"Ah, bad girl who hung around for a while. She's in prison in LA. Angel helped her out."

"Angel?"

"Vampire with a soul. He dated Buffy for a while, that wasn't going to work out though. He's the one Cordelia's working for. If you don't mind me asking, are you a werewolf?"

"No. Way do you ask?"

"The way you growled," Xander said. "Doughnut?"

"Thanks. So, you've faced werewolves, too? Killed any?"

Xander chocked on his doughnut and stopped to glare at his father.

"You don't kill werewolves. Hell, Willow dated one. Lock them in a cage for the night. The only one who died was Veruca, and they were wolfed out when Oz killed her."

Sirius was startled by the anger and venom that was suddenly directed at him. This boy – man – was a Black. He didn't back down though. He was a Black, too.

"Moony's a werewolf," he said lightly. "That's how he got his name, of course."

"Sorry," Xander said. "It was just the way you asked."

"No problem. Although there's obviously more going on here than just a group of high school kids and the librarian killing vampires. Even Giles."

"You know Giles?"

"He owled Dumbledore, so he must have some connection to Hogwarts."


	4. Sirius comes up with the main plot idea

Disclaimer, etc, see part one.

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**… … …**

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Xander and Sirius's arrival interrupted an argument between Anya and Buffy over the plausibility of evil lint as a concept to begin with.

Sirius raised an eyebrow to Xander.

"Evil lint?"

Xander nodded.

"Even if it wasn't lint, there were the demons that didn't exist."

"Demons?" Sirius asked.

"You didn't tell him?" Buffy asked. She had thought that he should have.

"Not the whole story," Xander said.

He put the boxes on the table. The first was immediately emptied.

"Why not?" Buffy demanded.

"You didn't tell your whole story either, I bet," Giles said to Sirius.

"There's more to it than being really cool and sneaking out of school at night?"

"Yeah!" Giles said.

It was several moment before anyone could break the silence. Nobody wanted to be the first to give up a secret. Xander and Giles were the common ground, but neither of them knew what the other was aware of.

"Sirius knows a werewolf," Xander said eventually.

Willow latched onto that. "What do you do during the full moon?"

"Oh, Snape makes him a potion. It lets him keep his mind while he's wolf. But it makes him sick during the day. He won't hurt anybody. But it makes it hard to get a job."

"He could just lock himself in cage for the nights," Buffy said.

"No one will give him a job anyway, poor man."

"But why would they even think about it?" Dawn asked. "I had no what was going on and Buffy …"

"Oh, Moony doesn't have any Muggle qualifications," Sirius said. "And everyone learns about werewolves in the first years of school."

"There's a school that teaches you about werewolves," Willow demanded slowly.

Giles explain about Hogwarts and his schooling as succinctly as possible. Willow was upset that she'd never had the training. Buffy was upset that there was more to Giles's life that she didn't know.

Dawn's eyes had lit up, as had Anya's. Xander looked forlorn.

"But if you're a wizard and my mother was a witch … why don't can't I do any magic?" he asked.

Sirius smiled weakly. "You look a bit like me," he said. "What my mother would have done to the youngest Black. Last heir of her estate. She would have raised you to be the son I wasn't Mariana wouldn't have wanted that. And if any wizard had taken you in, someone would have worked out who you were."

"So what happened?" Willow asked.

She stood suddenly and went to stand next to Xander, who looked pale. She held his hand, but she was only just before Anya took his other. Xander sat down and looked anxiously at Sirius.

"I don't know. This is the Hellmouth, so your magical abilities will have been hidden. But Mariana probably put a charm on you. Dumbledore will be able to fix it."

"But Willow can do magic," Xander said. "And Tara. And Anya turned her ex into a troll. And Giles helped Amy turn Buffy back from a rat, and Amy turned Buffy into a rat."

"Magic?" Sirius asked, awed. "Without a wand?! Mr Giles, you too?"

"Wand?" Willow asked, awed. "Giles, you have a wand?"

Sirius and Giles managed to explain the difference between witches who used wands to access their magic, which would always have shown up. And witches who called on the elements, or magical objects, or the gods, to use the magic that would otherwise have lain dormant. It was easier for wand wizards to access wandless magic, but they didn't usually know how. Once wandless wizards had access their magic, though, they could learn with wands.

Willow grinned like the Cheshire cat.

"I understand the magic," Sirius said. "I understand how you were able to learn it, once you'd found out about it. But how did you find out about it?"

"Giles," Willow answered.

"And what were you doing telling high school students about magic and vampires anyway?" Sirius asked Giles.

"We found out about vampires on our own," Xander said. He hastily amended that statement. "I heard about vampires quite by accident. Giles was arguing with Buffy about them."

"And how do you know about vampires?"

Sirius hadn't really payed much attention to her until now. She hadn't been part of the confusing comments earlier and she'd spent most of this discussion looking slightly put out, or disinterested by the discussion, except for being slightly upset to begin with. She chuckled slightly now.

"You haven't worked it out. With all the magic and werewolves you know."

Sirius looked confused.

"I'm the Slayer," the slight blonde girl said.

Sirius blinked.

"Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil blah, blah, blah."

"Merlin, the Slayer!" Sirius said, when he placed the title. Then he laughed.

"Disbelief I get a lot, but never amusement," Buffy said.

"But the Slayer's a Muggle myth. The Slayer's just a Muggle," Sirius said.

"With extra speed, healing, and _strength_," Xander said.

Sirius looked at Buffy. Suddenly the whole situation made sense. He hadn't realised before that it hadn't. He knew it was the Hellmouth, so there were vampires. He hadn't realised how odd the group was before. But if Anya stayed with these people, than she had known who they were. And Giles had been the librarian at the school.

"You're her watcher?"

"So you know about Slayers, you just don't believe in them."

"I took Muggle studies for my OWLS, you didn't need to study for it. I just thought the Slayer myth was interesting. It's very nice to meet you."

"Thank you," Buffy said politely.

Sirius's memories connected with what he had just worked out.

"You have to come to Hogwarts," he said.

Giles sat up sharply. Dawn squealed.

"I'd love to see it," Anya said. "I've heard so much about it. But, of course, I never got to go. Witches know all sorts of curses. And I don't like the cold."

Sirius looked around at the startled, confused group.

"Xander, of course, is invited. If you want, Dumbledore can see what charms are on you, and you can get training. But if the Slayer could come, you could protect Harry. Everyone else, of course. No Slayer without the Watcher, and Dawn, because she's Buffy's dependant. McGonagall and Dumbledore would love to meet Willow and Tara. I'd like to see Snape's face when they arrived. Anya, of course, if she wants to accompany Xander, if he wants to come. Dumbledore will let you in, to protect Harry."

He gave the scooby gang a briefer run down of his past than he had given Giles. Anya nodded knowingly in parts.

"We can't just leave," Buffy said quietly. She felt a strange thrill at the suggestion that they could all move to England. And have a good fight to fight that would be over.

"We can," Willow said. "The only attacks recently have been aimed at you specifically. If we leave, either nothing happens or they come too and we deal with them like always."

"What about the shop?" Anya asked. "People know that the Slayer is associated with this shop, if it's closed they suspect she's gone."

That startled the group.

"Your friend," Tara said. "The werewolf, he could mind the shop? And we could go to Hogwarts to protect your godson."

"That's brilliant!" Sirius said. "If you want to come?"

They all nodded, some more slowly than others. Sirius worked through his brilliant plan in his head. And hit one major snag.

"Bloody Hell!"

"What?" Xander asked. Sirius's face had fallen dramatically. He looked very old suddenly.

"The new Defence Against the Darks Arts teacher is a Ministry spy, basically. Sent in by Fudge himself. There's no way she'd let you all in at Hogwarts, whatever your documents say."

"That may not be a problem," Giles said.


	5. The gang, plus Spike, get to England

Disclaimers, etc, part one.

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**… … …**

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Giles had sent a letter no one was allowed to see. The next day, Sunday, an owl had arrived with a short note saying, "No one can beat any sense into him, you're welcome to try." Giles spent the day in his office at the Magic Box writing letters and feeding owls.

Now that they had agreed to help out, the Scooby Gang insisted that Sirius explain everything he could about the situation in England. In return they told him some of the more spectacular stories of Sunnydale.

"Someone will be there to meet you at the other end," Sirius said as he dropped them at the airport on Tuesday night.

Giles nodded and lead the group into the terminal. Sirius couldn't risk being seen by anyone who might recognise him. And he didn't really have a better idea of where to go than they did.

They found their way to the correct service corridor and the correct nondescript pale cream door. Pushing it open they found themselves in an airport terminal. It looked just like the ones outside except that the staff wore robes, and the ropes were velvet.

Giles handed their passports and travel passes over to the bright young witch at the counter.

"Off, to England, hey? It's getting cold there now. Still, it'd be nice to see a white Christmas. Not many people travel on Halloween, still, I get paid extra. The working visas are all in order, do you have work already? Still, lots of people take on extras for Christmas."

She sent them off to the next counter where their luggage was checked and Giles's wand was measured.

"None of the rest of you have got wands?" the Wizard demanded. "What's the world coming too? I ask you. Was a time when no self respecting witch or wizard would leave the house without one."

He continued in the same way, mumbling to himself as he led them to another room full of what looked giant mushrooms.

Dawn was the only one who seemed excited.

"Cool," she breathed.

Spike chuckled at the look on her face, but eyed the mushrooms wearily. Buffy's expression hadn't changed from weary resignation. Xander looked nervous, Willow looked like a little kid in a lolly shop, and Tara looked the same, if more subdued.

Giles dragged his bags and put them inside the circle drawn around the mushroom their guide had led them too. The others followed his example and stared at the metal shape expectantly. It was plain, mushroom shaped, waist high, and bright yellow. It had 'HAL' carved into the top.

"Here are your straps," the wizard said, addressing them directly again. "Make sure you're connected to every piece of luggage you own. No point making us come after you. The number of people who leave their things behind."

He continued as he handed out straps and they tied themselves to their baggage. Only Giles seemed unperturbed by the process.

"Okay. Hands on the pod, people," they were instructed. "You've got about twenty seconds, so just wait. Do not take your hands off, please. I don't want to baby-sit you for the next half hour."

Twenty seconds and a navel-pulling tug later the extended Scooby Gang, plus Spike, were in England, standing, tied to their bags next to a bright purple mushroom with S(HM) carved into the top.

There was another efficient, bustling, staff member in airport security robes waiting to take them to from the port-mushrooms. Although the experience had been strange, it had also been mentally acceptable. Teleportation was something they had all seen. Travelling by fireplace didn't seem to make any sense at all.

Coughing, the group arrived in the back bar of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Bugger, I'm never doing that again," Spike said, frantically dusting his coat.

"It was nice," Buffy said. "Disorienting, and nothing at all like the real world."

"It's real enough," a voice said, "Just different."

Dawn ended up on the floor and gratefully accepted the proffered hand. It belonged to the only other person there; a man with grey streaked hair. He was wearing robes, like all the airport staff had been, but his were faded. They were even patched in places, and with a practiced hand.

He waited until the others had piled out of the fireplace with their stuff before introducing himself as 'Remus Lupin, a friend and associate of Sirius's' and shaking everyone's hands.

He shook Xander's last and looked at him carefully as he did so.

"You don't look very much like your grandmother," he said.

He sounded relieved, and Xander could understand that, having spent several hours hearing stories about the Black family history.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Remus said. "Sirius and Dumbledore both hope you'll be able to assist us this year. I'm not sure how much he's told you, but I'll answer any questions I can, and then we can go shopping."

"Shopping?!" Dawn asked brightly.

"We know pretty much everything," Willow said. "And we're here to help."

Remus smiled, and looked forty-ish instead of fifty-ish. He nodded his appreciation of their acceptance, and coded language.

"Alright, so if you're set for questions, it's just gone nine am, we can go to the bank."

"Bank," Buffy said, well aware that she didn't really have any money.

"AM?" Spike repeated. "I'm not going out into that."

Remus blinked at him for a moment, then began patting his robes. He pulled out bulkily wrapped object. He handed it Buffy who looked at him dumbly.

"It's a Nedustus," Remus said.

Buffy unwrapped it. It appeared to be a three rings, in increasing size, connected by a thin chain. It wasn't particularly heavy, but Buffy knew that it was strong.

"It allows the vampire wearing it to walk freely in sunshine. It only works if all bracelets are closed, wrist, forearm, neck. It's easy enough to break its connection. But it's pretty hard to take off completely."

"Can I still stake him?"

"Yes."

Spike refused to react to Buffy's questions. He knew that she had made the question personal, despite the fact that it had him riled.

Buffy offered the chains and clasps to Spike. He wondered how many people would recognise the contraption for what it was. It had to be less than the number of people who would recognise someone who couldn't go into sunlight. He took off his shirt.

Buffy looked away as Spike flexed his muscles at her.

"Golly, pet, you never saw arms where you were?"

The rest of the gang glared at Spike with shocked indignation. Giles looked slightly thoughtful through his glare. Buffy stood at her full, inconsiderable, height and gave Spike a haughty look.

"I didn't need to."

Spike choked. Buffy coolly clipped the bracelets closed. Spike's laughter cut off abruptly as his whole body tingled. He felt suddenly exposed and pulled his clothes back on.

"You're embarrassed, now?" Buffy asked.

"You're very chipper, at the moment," Spike eyed her suspiciously.

"This is a nice place so far," Buffy said slowly.

"Where were you?" Remus asked, politely.

There was a lull in the conversation while someone tried to think of what to say. Xander had quietly, and privately explained what had happened over the summer, and Buffy's reluctance to talk, to his father. Sirius had also been fearful of the spell used, and Xander didn't want that kind of attention.

"Holiday," Buffy said, with a shrug. "I needed a break."

Remus caught the reluctance and simply nodded; everyone was allowed some secrets. He gathered the group together and led them through the bar to the alley in the back. Giles was anxious to get to Diagon Alley. Even though no one else knew what was exciting about the dingy courtyard, it was beginning to infect the others.

Spike was more anxious to make it out of the shade.

Dawn and Willow liked the wriggling bricks.

"They're so cute," Willow said.

"Can we take one home?" Dawn said.

Remus raised an eyebrow at them. If they had been impressed by the wall, they would be amazed by the Alley itself. Spike leaped through and stopped, staring up at the sun-filled clouds. Xander pushed him out of the way.

"Why did we bother to bring him at all?" he demanded.

"Did you want to rebuild our house?" Buffy asked.

"Point," Xander said.

"Hey!" Spike protested. But his heart wasn't in it. He could feel the sun on his skin, it felt something like the tingle of the bracelets.

Dawn grinned at Buffy. She seemed to be enjoying herself. And teasing Spike was a good sign.

Something in the air had surrounded Buffy with a sense that things were mostly okay here, generally. Sunnydale never had the feeling. And, given that she was normally patrolling now, she was pumped enough to enjoy the spectacle.

Diagon Alley was wonderful. Anya looked at the array of shops, comparing their prices to hers. Willow and Tara were nudging each other and pointing to people here and there. Dawn looked at all the people bustling through the market place in their colourful robes and pointy hats.

"This is so cool," she said.

Lupin smiled. But he was a little disappointed with their reactions, however appreciative.


	6. Those who need them get wands

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

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**… … …**

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Buffy followed Giles out along the Alley. They spent a few minutes just looking around before heading to the bank. Lupin had a key for the vault Dumbledore had set up for the Scooby Gang. Buffy was given charge of the key and she gave everyone what Lupin suggested as a fair amount for what they wanted.

Giles got some money out of his own vault. No one, least of all the goblin, was impressed by the time it took him to find his key.

"All this money's yours, Giles?" Buffy asked, looking around the vault.

"Yeah," Giles said. He was bemused at his discovery of the small fortune he'd collected since he'd left school and joined the Watchers.

"Hurry up," Xander demanded. "I want to get back to the sun."

"Yeah," Spike said. He had become very quickly annoyed with the underground, for someone who had lived in the dark for over a hundred years.

Buffy and Giles climbed back on the cart. The others hadn't felt well enough to get off. They emerged, green tinged and blinking in the sunlight.

"Where do we go first?" Dawn asked excitedly.

"Xander, Tara, Willow and Spike will need wands. Everyone will need robes, and we might as well all go to Flourish and Blots," Lupin said.

"Wand?" Spike demanded.

"Spike?" Giles demanded. "He's a …"

"Dumbledore insisted. He's never really been one for keeping rules that don't make sense in the circumstances. He's spoken to Ollivander."

Giles didn't really seem pleased. But it was obvious he wasn't going to argue.

"We'll go to the book shop," Giles offered. "I'd like to see their Muggle Studies collection. You can meet us there?"

They split at the bookshop, Xander, Willow, Tara and Spike following Lupin further down the street. The little bell tinkled as they entered the quiet looking shop. It seemed that there were too many of them for the space.

Ollivander appeared. He beamed at them all, his eyes narrowing curiously as they reached Spike.

"Remus, good to see you again," he said. "Fine wand you've got, firm, good for hexes and curses."

Lupin smiled in what he hoped was an appreciative way.

"Mr Black, why don't we start with you. Hold out your wand hand."

It took Xander a moment to realise that that meant him. And held out his right hand. Ollivander held out a silvery tape measure and ran it along his arm. He gave what must have been his standard spiel before wandering off and leaving the tape to measure on its own.

When he came back, the wand was measuring Xander's eyes. It flung itself on to the floor guiltily when Ollivander snapped his fingers.

"Let's see if we can't do this properly. Families like yours tend towards a traditional wand. 11 inches, walnut, phoenix feather, just wave it."

Xander waved, nothing happened. Ollivander tutted and pulled the wand away.

"13 inches, holy, unicorn tail hair."

Xander had barely lifted the wand before Ollivander took it away and replaced it with another. He seemed very excited.

"13 inches, mahogany, phoenix feather."

Xander lifted the wand and waved it. Ollivander's face fell ever so slightly when nothing happened.

"The wood, the wood, what wood would you like?"

"What sorts have you got?" Xander said.

"Holly, Mahogany, Walnut, Hazel, Oak, Willow, Rose, Willow?" he repeated, noticing Xander's smile.

He disappeared before Xander could explain that it was only that his friend, who was standing beside him, was called Willow. He returned with one wand box.

"13 inches, willow, phoenix feather."

Xander's whole arm felt warmed as he held the wand. He smiled again, he could like this. He drew the wand through the air. It left a trail of small crystal like lights in its wake. Ollivander beamed.

"Excellent," he said. "It's find wand. You should find it well suited to transfiguration."

Remus seemed very pleased with the recommendation. Xander thanked the strange little man and stepped back. Ollivander turned next to Spike.

"William, your wand hand please."

Ollivander was not pleased to have a vampire in his shop, perhaps he thought it undignified. Spike held out his left arm and the tape measured him. Ollivander watched it a moment before stalking off.

"I don't know why I even made this wand," he said, as he returned. "And how Dumbledore knew of it? 12 and a half inches, originally holly wood, phoenix feather."

Spike waved the wand experimentally and a cloud of cream coloured smoke appeared. Ollivander sighed in a way that said quite clearly, there was no challenge in that.

"How was that so easy?" Spike asked.

"You are a vampire, William. Vampires are able to use most wands very effectively, although they are _not allowed to have a wand at all_. No wand is going to choose a Wizard it will be dangerous to. Your wand is the only one I have made out of petrified wood. Miss Maclay, I believe you have taught Miss Rosenberg elements of what she knows?"

"Some, some of the basics, yes," Tara nodded.

"Could you both stand with you wand arms out please," he said.

Willow and Tara stood side by side, with their right arms raised. Ollivander looked very excited. And the tape measure seemed ecstatic at the prospect of measuring two people at once. Ollivander left it to its own amusement. The tape measured the various distances between the two witches, as well all their own measurements.

Ollivander arrived back with several wand boxes and handed one to Tara.

"It's possible that you won't find a wand easily. It's also possible that several wands will be acceptable, which makes my job easier. I haven't sold a wand to a Wicca witch in many, many years. This is 13 inches, hazel wood, unicorn tail hair."

Nothing happened when Tara waved it and Ollivander got a strange gleam in his eye as he handed over another wand.

"11 and a half inches, mahogany, heart string of a dragon. A very fine welsh green."

Again, nothing happened. Fifteen minutes later the pile of boxes around Tara and Willow was half way up their calves. Willow had yet to try a wand.

"Ah, yes, of course, my greatest apologies," Ollivander murmured, taking the last wand from Tara. He handed it to Willow.

"11 and three quarter inches, oak, with the hair from the mane of a unicorn," he repeated.

Willow waved the wand. It produced a green light, which floated in the air like a scarf.

"Excellent, excellent."

Ollivander looked at the wand boxes around their feet for a moment. He turned abruptly for one of the shelves and brought out another wand for Tara.

"12 and a half inches, rose wood, the tail of the same unicorn," he pronounced.

Tara's wand produced the same effect that Willow's had. Ollivander chuckled.

"Perfect match," he said. "It's a lovely thing to see."

Willow blushed. Tara seemed to take some comfort from the little man's words. Xander simply felt uncomfortable.

The four of them paid for their wands and left the shop quietly. Diagon Alley was still the same bustling place it had been when they had gone in. Manoeuvring between the crowds, Remus led them back towards the bookshop.


	7. Shopping, lunch, and eventually Hogwarts

Disclaimers, etc, part one.

Author's Note: This chapter is really, really long for me. I promised that I'd get to Hogwarts this chapter, so I did. The shopping may seem a bit rushed. I could have done more, but I thought that it would be too indulgent.

For the purposes of this fic Snape is 39, as are Sirius and Lupin. McGonagall is 54.

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**… … …**

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The four of them met Buffy outside the bookshop. She was very pleased to see them.

"Please, please, you have to rescue Giles," she said.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked, immediately anxious.

"There are all these books," Buffy said. "Seriously, he and Dawn are, like, drowning in books. I can't get them out. I went after Dawn, and lost Giles."

Willow grinned. Xander looked worried.

"We'll need to get you the basic school supplies," Lupin told them. "At least to third year. Will you want your own copies? They're not too bad, and Dumbledore did consider them."

"It's probably a good idea," Xander said. "No one wants to share with Spike, and Willow will want to write in hers."

They followed Lupin and an agitated Buffy into the shop.

"Remus, good to see you," the assistant greeted him. "Are you teaching again?"

"No, just bringing some friends to buy school books. Robson, this is Xander Black."

Mr Robson brightened remarkably and grabbed Xander's hand.

"A pleasure, a pleasure. Dumbledore has explained the situation with your father, if I can help in any way," he added more quietly.

"Thank you," Xander said. He wondered how many people Dumbledore had influence over.

"What books were you after?"

Remus gave him the list of basic spell books for up to third year and a collection of Defence Against the Dark Arts, History and Potions books. Robson was only too happy to help them, loading them up with books. Xander grimaced. Willow had to resist sitting down in the middle of the shop to start reading.

Spike glanced around the headings above the aisles.

"Do you have anything about Vampires?" he asked.

"Last row," Robson said, pointing. "With the dark creatures books.

Spike stalked off, leaving Lupin to guard his books.

"Oh, oh, anything on Wicca magic?" Willow asked.

"Will, please, we'll be here for ever. You can come back, you know, later, when I'm at the ice cream shop," Xander pleaded.

Tara smiled apologetically as she and Willow followed Robson's directions to the magical theory section.

"See what I mean?" Buffy said. "Dawn's in magic artefacts and creation. Giles is looking up everything to do with the Slayer."

"He seemed such a sensible chap, too," Robson said. "Still, the sanest people get hooked on that myth, it's very evocative. A bit like Harry Potter, if you don't mind my saying so."

"Anya's in dark creatures, looking up the demon registers," Buffy said.

Xander left his books too, and followed Anya. Buffy sighed and shared a weary glance with Lupin. Robson turned to his new customers.

"Most people have the same reaction as Robson to the idea of the Slayer," Lupin said. "I must say I didn't believe Dumbledore when he said I would get to meet you."

Buffy smiled. "You can all look after yourself. Normally only the Slayer and her Watcher know who she is, and no Muggles have ever heard of me."

"There are some comfy chairs at the back, away from books," Lupin said.

Buffy smiled at him. "Thanks, I just kill stuff, Giles does the books."

They collected the books and left them at the counter before disappearing.

Xander found Anya scanning the shelves under a 'human demons' sign.

"Hey, Ahn," he said, sidling up to her.

"They don't like me, Xander," she said. "A found a couple of mentions of vengeance demons, but they just talk about how to avoid us. I'm in this one," she said, taking it off the shelf, "but there's just a list of the things I've done. There's nothing saying why they deserved it."

Xander really didn't know what to say. He put an arm around her and she leant into his shoulder.

"I did really bad things, you know."

"I know, I know. But that's not you now. You don't want to do that any more."

Anya shook her head.

"I love you. In this world I'm someone pretty important. And we're going to get married."

Anya nodded.

"This world's amazing, Xander. They know so much. And I could so run a shop here, conjuring powder is expensive, and I know the troll."

Xander chuckled. Anya was always able see how a situation could benefit her. She was proud of her place in the system. It seemed that she was becoming less pleased with her old part, and Xander wasn't really sure how he felt about that. It was kind of fun to see people's reactions when Anya told them what she used to do.

"Do you want any of these books?" he asked, gesturing along the shelves.

She glanced along the shelves, briefly. But in the end decided only to keep the one she had given to Xander. Xander held his arm out to her and they walked back to the front of the shop. The others were all already there. Giles and Willow both had several books each. Dawn had a slim volume called 'Mystical Orders of the World.'

Lupin insisted on paying for them all, arguing that they were a gift from Dumbledore and the Order for helping out. No one was really able to argue against him because they couldn't work out the money for themselves.

"Okay," Lupin said, once they had regathered outside. "We can get something to eat at the Cauldron and you can tell me about your shop. We'll need other supplies for all of you, including robes. Our port-key leaves at six, in time for the Halloween feast."

The gang agreed. They were able to leave their bags behind the bar with Tom and take lunch in a private room. Anya explained the workings of the shop to Lupin while Xander, Tara and Willow described the wand choosing to Dawn. Spike sat moodily in a corner with a glass of blood; Tom refused to serve human blood.

Giles sat next to Buffy at the end of the table. Ignoring the others he watched her. He'd had a little training in how to deal with young adults. And he knew what pain was like. Their relationship meant he could take a step back when dealing with Buffy, and not be the comfort she needed, so that she could work through things.

"Do you like it here?" he asked.

Rule one: have a different objective for the same information.

"England, this pub, or the world you went to school in?" Buffy asked.

Giles smiled lightly at her expression. "Any or all?"

"I haven't seen England, really. This pub is kinda dingy, but the food's okay. So far this world is strange, and they don't really need a Slayer. Why didn't you tell me about it before?"

"It had nothing really to do with the Watcher stuff," Giles said.

Rule two: always answer truthfully.

"My mother insisted that I be sent to Hogwarts. As fun as the magic was, it really was just school."

Buffy frowned. Giles watched her. She seemed comfortable, but not happy. He had a strange sinking feeling as thoughts began to add themselves up in his head. Pushing them away he put a hand on her shoulder.

"It was very strange learning about the Slayer as a myth when I knew I was going to be a Watcher," he said. "I wasn't allowed to tell anyone she was real, part of the whole secrecy thing. The Council and the Ministry like to pretend that the others don't exist. They manage it pretty well."

"So we'll be disrupting the Council's long laid plans?" Buffy asked, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Yeah," Giles said.

"Good."

Lunch finished before Giles could get any further with his line of questioning. Willow and Dawn were particularly excited about the prospect of buying clothes. Even Buffy brightened. Spike and Xander were not impressed.

"If you want to learn to use your wands, you have to go to school. To go to school you need to be dressed appropriately," Lupin said.

He held out his arms to display his robes.

"I assure you that these are about the worst robes that you can buy. Madam Malkin has a very wide selection."

Spike was not at all pleased at being made to give up his jeans.

"You can wear them under your robes if you insist," the sales witch said eventually. "But why you'd want to, they completely ruin the fall of the cloth."

Spike shrugged. He really couldn't see what she was talking about. But he could robes in red and black and was reasonably happy. He was even happier when she hadn't reacted to the metal around his arm.

Xander was having less trouble. Anya had taken over his wardrobe, all he had to do was change in and out of the robes Anya handed him and occasionally twirl.

Tara managed to talk Willow into only buying four sets of robes. On turn Willow insisted that Tara also get four. Giles found the robes were an uncomfortable reminder of his school days.

In the end the trip was long enough for the keen shoppers, but too long for the others. Lupin was pleased to get them out of the shop without any of them punching another out.

The trip for potions ingredients went better, even considering the argument Anya had with the owner about the price of newts' eyes. By the time they made it back to the Leaky Cauldron it was getting close to six. Lupin was glad that he would get to leave the group. They were a bit intense, but he could see what Sirius liked in them. His friend had never really had a chance to grow out of being a Marauder.

"It'll be just as same as the trip to Heathrow," Giles said.

The Scooby gang had a little difficulty arranging themselves, their luggage and all their purchases. But they still had the ties. Lupin agreed to send anything that got left behind. He waved at the odd group as they were pulled out of the pub.

The teacher's room behind the great hall had three people in it when the group arrived, lurching slightly. At first they didn't notice that there were people already there. They just, all of them, stared at the stones and paintings in the room, even Giles had never been in the teacher's room.

"Wow." Dawn managed to speak first.

Xander waved back at one of the paintings, grinning.


	8. The interlude before the feast

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

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Willow stood stock-still. She could feel the magic in this place. It was in everything, the paintings moved, the pillars were confident of their ability to hold the ceiling. The magic knew what it was doing, and was glad to be doing it. She felt very small by comparison. All right, she'd done some amazing things, but it hadn't felt comfortable the way this magic did. It was all she could do not to drown herself in it, but at the same time it didn't want her. It was quite all right with her interference, thank you very much. She could feel the wand in her pocket, and its connection to the world around her. That would make for some very interesting studies. She should probably talk to Mr Ollivander.

Buffy was staring at the ceiling, turning in a slow circle. The air felt as if she could lean against it and it would support her weight. There was sense that everything was in control. The building took responsibility, even for the bad things that happened here. Instead of the badness being a part of the nature of the place, like at the Hellmouth, it was a small part of the openings that allowed the greatness and grandeur. It was enough to keep to her occupied, and the Slayer muscles stretched, but not overwhelming. And Dawn looked ecstatic.

Xander looked shell-shocked. He was surprised at how surprised he didn't feel. Part of him really, really liked it here, even though he had no real idea where here was.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," a man said.

As one the group turned to face their host. They stumbled a bit around their luggage, but eventually managed to present themselves.

"For those who don't know me, my name is Albus Dumbledore," the elderly man said. "I apologise for the superfluous introduction, Mr Giles, Spike," he said, nodding at the two men.

Spike got a couple of odd looks from the group. But they were mostly interested in the old man. Albus Dumbledore seemed to be extremely interesting. Buffy decided that he was probably the only person in the world who could make that combination of orange and green look good.

"It is a pleasure to back at Hogwarts, Headmaster," Giles said.

Spike nodded his greeting. He was staring suspiciously at the woman standing next to the headmaster.

"Other introductions, of course," Dumbledore said.

"May I introduce, Minerva McGonagall, deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor."

Minerva stepped between Dumbledore and the other woman, who looked extremely put out.

"A pleasure, Ripper. Welcome to Hogwarts, all of you."

"And this is Dolores Umbridge, undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and our current Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor."

Giles held his hand out to her. She shook it stiffly.

"It's a great honour to meet you, ma'am," he said, earning odd looks from everyone else in the room, and a thoughtful gleam from Dumbledore.

Umbridge seemed pleased, if unsurprised, by the comment. She flashed her teeth at the rest of the group.

Giles made quick introductions. He gave Anya's surname as Jenkins, and offered no explanation as to why Spike didn't really have a name at all.

Dumbledore nodded gravely when he introduced Xander as a Harris.

"In the Wizarding world, Mr Harris, you will still go legally by your father's name. But we shouldn't draw too much attention to that," he said.

Umbridge obvious thought everything was very suspicious. McGonagall thought the same, but she more pleased that the pink cardigan was upset. Besides, Albus was obviously enjoying the company, and Rupert or Albus would explain everything later, so who was she to complain.

Introductions and small talk completed, Dumbledore addressed his guests at large.

"If you'd like to follow me," he said, "I'll show you to your rooms. The feast begins in about twenty minutes, you'll want to change, I'm sure. Leave the luggage, it will be delivered."

Dumbledore lead them across the entrance hall and down a fairly main corridor. A door appeared in the wall suddenly and he opened it. The room they stepped into was large and contained one small table and two chairs. There were eight doors, spaced too close together to have anything but more corridors behind them. Each had a painting on it.

"These are your rooms," Dumbledore announced, waving to the walls. He pointed to the two doors opposite where they were, "they are the bathrooms. I'll leave to work out which is which."

He smiled and walked serenely away.

"Okay, so we'll start here?" Buffy said, looking at the first door. The painting showed a snow-covered tree in sunlight, and a fawn. The fawn was currently enjoying the light and eating grass.

"I think we have to open our own door," Giles said, from the other side of the room. "I think this is mine," he added.

His painting was of two men arguing with each other, standing over a table in the middle of a library.

"This'll be me," Spike announced, staring at the painting next to it.

Buffy looked over at the picture, but she couldn't see it clearly, beyond that it was obviously a man, in a cloak. Spike pulled the door open and marched inside. Giles shrugged and open his own door.

Willow and Tara came up to Buffy to look at her painting, to see if they liked it any better than the others. Willow looked at the fawn sadly.

"He's so sweet," she murmured.

Buffy and Tara both noticed her concern, but said nothing.

"Do you want this room?" Tara asked.

Willow nodded firmly, once, then looked horrified and glanced at Tara.

"If you do," she said.

Tara smiled. She opened the door and pushed Willow inside.

Buffy's quiet thoughts were interrupted by a shriek from Anya.

"A rabbit!" she squealed, pointing to the painting on the other side of Giles's from Spike.

"Don't fear, gentle madam," one of the riders proclaimed.

He lifted his gun. There were two faint popping noises and the painted rabbit fell dead. Anya's eyes widened in delight.

"Can you shoot some more?" she asked.

Xander raised a faintly apologetic eyebrow at Buffy. But he also smiled fondly at Anya.

"What have you got, Dawn?"

"Fairies," Dawn said, awed. "Or nymphs, or something. They're beautiful."

"What's the next one?" Buffy asked. It would be her room.

"Oh, you'll like," Dawn said. "You've got figure skaters."

Buffy grinned and walked over to her door. It seemed Torvill and Dean had had an influence on the Wizarding world, too. They waved at her as they performed a series of simple leaps. Buffy smiled back at them and opened the door.

The room was gorgeous. Their little wing must have stuck out into the grounds because there was fantastic view of the moon-lit grounds out her windows. The window ledges were deep enough to sit in, and ever had padded seats and curtains like in the film of Jane Eyre. The bed was huge, four poster, and hang with silver curtains. She took off her shoes so she could feel the carpet. There was a fire in the fire place. This castle, this world was fantastic. And Xander, more than anyone belonged here. He deserved it, but she was going to enjoying while she was here. It was the place to get used to living again.

Buffy couldn't see her bags anywhere, but when she crossed the room and opened the wardrobe she was confronted by her new robes. She took the dark blue ones off their hanger and threw them across the bed. Grabbing a towel from the table between the windows she crossed back to the other door next to the fire and knocked.

"Dawn! Is that you?"

The door was yanked opened. Dawn stepped into Buffy's room.

"It's just as fabulous as mine!" she declared. "Are you going to have a shower. You'll have to be quick. Professor Dumbledore said we had twenty minutes."

"I'm sure there's room for us both, come on," Buffy said.

They stepped back out into the foyer area, where everyone else already was, also holding their towels.

"There will, I assure you," Giles was saying, "be room for everyone who wants to shower. However, will still only have fifteen minutes, so be reasonably hasty."

No one needed telling twice. If the bathrooms were half as opulent as their room, Xander was more than happy. He was even prepared to overlook having to share a bathroom with Spike and Giles. The merman on the door shook his trident at them as he pushed the door open.

The bathroom was all chrome and dark blue tiles. The shower cubicles were large enough to party in.

"This is a bathroom to get clean in," Xander said.

"You need it, whelp," Spike said.

"Not as badly as you," Xander retorted automatically.

Spike considered that a second. "I walked into that one," he admitted. "Still, I'm not going to waste time chatting to you two."

They each took a cubicle and closed the door. Xander stared at the array of taps. He stripped carefully, even hanging his clothes up and putting his new wand in the rack next to the door.

He turned one the taps gingerly. Warm foamy water poured out. He turned a tap marked with a red jewel and the water got warmer. It took a few moments' experimenting to come up with the right combination of heat, foam and pressure. But he felt that he could have stayed there all evening.

It was too soon that he had to turn off the shower, dry and hurry back to his room to get changed.

The robes still felt strange to wear. Getting them to sit right was enough to distract him from Anya's ideas of what they could do with the baths in the girls' bathroom.

"I was thinking we could try the bed, first, honey," he said.

Anya smiled coyly. Xander chuckled. He held out arm to her and they walked out together to meet the others before finally heading to the Great Hall.


	9. Harry meets Xander and lots of setup

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

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**… … …**

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Hermione ran into Ron as they entered the Great Hall for the feast. Ron was staring at the teacher's table. Exasperated, she pushed him.

Ron stumbled forward, trying not to look away.

"She's gorgeous," he breathed.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Who, the redhead?" Ginny asked, coming up behind them.

"No, next to her," Ron said, "dark hair, purple robes."

Harry looked up at the table, too. There were several new people sitting at the end of the extended table. They were all wearing robes, but no hats. They were all looking around the Hall with amazed smiles.

The dark haired girl was pretty, but he was more intrigued by the dark haired man along the row of new faces. He seemed familiar some how.

"Ron put your eyes back in," Ginny said. "Let's sit down, we'll find out who they are."

She nudged Hermione forward. She was glowering and sat on the right side of the table with her back to the strangers. Ginny sat beside her, the boys opposite them, staring.

"The dark haired guy," Harry asked Hermione. "Who does he remind you of?"

Hermione was still staring darkly at Ron. Ginny turned to get a better view.

"Sirius," she said promptly.

Harry was shocked. Firstly because it was Ginny, who was scared and quiet around him and secondly because he thought he had been hallucinating.

Hermione looked quickly at the stopped, staring too.

"I know them," she said.

"Who?" Harry asked, excited.

"The blondes," Hermione said. "That guy, and the girl in blue."

Harry looked at them both. He didn't recognise either of them. The girl looked sad the way Sirius did when he talked about his time at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore stood up and the whispered conversations ceased.

"I would like to interrupt your thoughts of food to introduce our guests. They will staying with us for the few weeks, maybe longer. Some of them will be joining you in classes, others will offering classes. I expect to you all show them the respect you would show any teacher.

"Well then, on the end we have Willow Rosenberg, next to her Dawn Summers."

"Dawn," Ron breathed.

Hermione grimaced. Harry nudged his friend, hoping he would snap out of it soon.

"Tara Maclay, Spike, Anya Jenkins, Xander Harris, Buffy Summers."

"What kind of name is Buffy?" Ron demanded.

"She's Dawn's sister, so watch what you say," Ginny said.

"Shh," Hermione hissed.

"…Hogwarts student, Rupert Giles," Dumbledore continued.

There was a smattering of applause and Dumbledore beamed at the students.

"That done with, you are free to concentrate on the feast. Enjoy."

Dumbledore sat down again. The students followed his instruction with remarkable enthusiasm, except that no stopped eating to remark.

"I know that name," Hermione said. "I'm not sure he's a good guy."

"We were sure Snape was a bad guy," Ginny said.

"We're still not sure on that one," Ron said, around several roast potatoes.

"Ron!" Hermione scolded.

Ron shrugged.

"I don't like him," Harry decided. "He seems to be getting on too well with Umbridge."

He stabbed his piece of roast beef moodily. The guy looked good in his black robes, and Harry thought that he knew what he was doing.

At the end of the feast, McGonagall appeared at the Gryffindor table before they could leave.

"Mr Potter, please, come with me," she said.

Harry stood up. So did Ron and Hermione.

"Just Potter," she said. "He can tell you what he wants to in his own time."

Harry nodded at Ron and Hermione, telling that he would do that and followed McGonagall out of the Hall and into the chamber across from it. Snape and Dumbledore were there with the dark haired man called Xander Harris.

Harry stared at them.

"Xander, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Xander Harris."

Xander held out his hand. Harry took it automatically. It was the first time Dumbledore had spoken to him all year, and it was this, with no warning and Snape's suspicious grimace.

"Xander is Sirius's son," Dumbledore said.

Harry blinked. He hadn't known Sirius had had a son, he was fairly sure Sirius hadn't known last time they had spoken.

Snape snorted. "So that's why they're here? Because that overgrown mutt got lucky twenty years ago?"

"Hey!" Harry and Xander said at once.

They turned back to each other for a moment. Something clicked and they were more comfortable with each other in their indignation.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"We need to talk to both of you," McGonagall said, glaring at Snape.

"Why?" Xander asked, sounding worried.

Harry glanced at Dumbledore for reassurance. The Headmaster was watching Snape and wouldn't look at Harry. Harry looked at McGonagall, she didn't look grim, or reassuring, which calmed Harry slightly.

"When Sirius was convicted of your parents murder, Harry, the Ministry did what they would have done if he had died."

Harry nodded.

"That means that his estate was legally handed over to his next of kin."

"Xander," Harry said.

"No one knew Xander existed, his estate was in your care," McGonagall said.

"I had no idea," Harry said. His tone was faintly accusatory behind the confusion.

"Of course we didn't tell you," Snape said. "You weren't supposed to find out that he was your godfather, were we supposed to tell you that you owned all his stuff? when you couldn't do anything about it? Having a frustrated Gryffindor around is so much fun!"

Harry clenched his fists and snarled at Snape. Xander put his hand on the boy's shoulder, holding him to the ground.

"Well at least one of them has sense," Snape said.

McGonagall gave him a sharp look. Snape retreated into a silent, seething brood.

"Sirius didn't have a will, Harry. The Ministry assumed you, as his godson, were his next of kin. Because your aunt and uncle aren't a part of the Wizarding community, the Ministry was the trustee, until you became a Gryffindor. For the last four years, I've been the trustee, and legally your guardian."

Harry blinked again. He had wanted information. He didn't think he'd be landed with so much. He'd have to ask McGonagall some more questions later. At the moment he was having trouble dealing with what information he had.

"You're my legal guardian?"

"In the Wizarding world, yes. I have agreed that it is best," she grimaced at the word, "to let you stay with your aunt and uncle during the summer. But Xander is going to the Ministry tomorrow. If they accept his identity, he will considered Sirius's next of kin, and inheritor of the estate."

"You'll get the house," Harry said.

"Hopefully not for long," Xander said, smiling. "Anya has evidence they may accept to prove Sirius innocent."

"Okay, so you're Sirius's son. Who are all the people you came with?" Harry asked, not knowing what to say.

"My friends," Xander said. "Well, Anya's my, we're going to get married. Professor Dumbledore thought we'd be able to help you guys out. And, well, get training. This place is pretty cool."

Harry grinned. He quite liked this guy. He hoped, for Ron's sake, that Dawn was as nice.

"How can your friends help out?" Harry asked. "Are they Wizards and Witches, too?"

He had gotten the impression that they were new to the Wizarding world. And Xander had said that they needed training.

"Some, Willow and Tara, and Spike's, well, Spike."

"You and the friends you stayed with over the summer will get to meet them tomorrow evening," McGonagall said.

Harry nodded. He looked at Dumbledore who smiled at him, but wouldn't catch his eye. Harry sighed.

"I better go up to bed," he said. "It was good to meet you, Xander."

Harry left, walking slowly. Xander turned back to Snape. He didn't like the man, and felt sure that the guy hated him. He knew about Snape from Sirius, but he didn't think his father had ever cared enough to get to know him. Xander at least wanted to know some of what drove the guy.

"And how will your friends be able to help?" Snape demanded. "Apart from putting a dangerous criminal back on the street?"

If Snape excepted a similar reaction to the one he had had earlier, he was disappointed. Xander had had a lot of practice dealing, first with Cordelia and then with various frat boys, to not take bait he knew was coming.

"Well, Buffy's the Slayer," he said.

Snape was not impressed. "Oh, yes, that slip of girl. Because Slayers do so well against magic and strategy. That's all you've got, a Muggle girl who can hit hard. She doesn't even look like she cares."

"Neither do you," Xander said. "And she's been kind of off her game since she came back from Hell, but she'll knuckle down."

"She went to Hell?"

"Yeah, but Willow, Tara, Anya and I brought her back. As pleasant as it is to argue with you about this, my friends are waiting for me, and Dumbledore wants us to stay."

Snape blinked twice. In that time Xander turned around and stalked out of the room. McGonagall tried to hold back her laughter. Snape growled at her.

"Oh, Severus, has someone seen something scarier than you?" she purred. "You're going to have wear something blacker tomorrow."

Snape's face darken considerably. "I already have enough cause to wear black, Minerva."

He, too, stalked out of the room. Minerva watched him a moment before turning to Dumbledore. He seemed mildly amused, as he often did.

"I do believe you offended him. Well done, I have been trying to for many years."


	10. After dinner debrief and meeting

Disclaimers etc, see part one.

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**… … …**

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When Xander arrived back at the Scooby waiting room, he found that it had been turned into a living room, of sorts. Despite the many doors, the centre of the room now held several coloured chairs – testimony to Giles's skills with a wand.

They looked up as Xander entered. Willow closed the book she and Tara had been reading.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"He's a really sweet kid, I think," Xander said.

Giles drew him a chair out of the air and Xander sat with a smug smile. Dawn chuckled at the regal air he portrayed in his robes. Anya beamed. Xander ruined it by laughing along with Dawn.

"This place is fab," he said.

"It is," Giles said, slowly.

"You didn't like it?" Spike asked, shocked.

"I had troubles here," Giles said. "Between my father and the Defence professor's views of the Slayer, I never really had much of a chance. And I didn't like Quidditch."

Spike almost spat.

"I couldn't watch it. I was always worried someone would fall off."

"It's no fun if no one falls off," Spike said. "Although, I suppose I'll actually be able to play, now."

"Play what?" Xander asked.

"Fall off what?" Buffy asked.

"Quiddich, wizard football," Giles said.

"Played on broom sticks," Spike added.

Giles shuddered at the thought. Dawn grinned. Buffy looked at him strangely.

"You can face the real threat of torture, and torture itself, but you can't watch people on broomsticks?"

Giles didn't deign to answer.

"Leave the man alone," Spike said. "Tell us about the kid?"

"He's also pretty suspicious of the people who are meant to be looking after him," Xander said. "He doesn't like Snape, but then, he hates Harry, too."

"Then why was he there?" Buffy asked. "Weren't you supposed to meet the people who were going to help us?"

"Sirius did say he was with the good guys. And Dumbledore trusts him, I think that is enough recommendation," Xander said.

Spike and Giles both nodded.

"Anyway, you all get to meet him and his friends tomorrow. McGonagall and Snape are coming with Dumbledore this evening," Xander told them. "I told them that you were the Slayer," he added to Buffy.

Buffy nodded. She found that she was glad that a big deal wouldn't be made of it while she was there.

"What did they say to that?" she asked.

"Snape didn't think you'd do particularly well against either magic or strategy. He described you as 'a girl who can hit hard.' I didn't tell him that you weren't one to play by the rules."

Buffy grinned. "Well, we have to let him know," she said.

"Let who know what?" a smiling voice asked.

Dumbledore took in the group with a smile. None of them answered him. They stared at the three visitors with expressions ranging from curious to hostile. He drew three more chairs into the circle for the others. Snape glowered at the dark green floral pattern on his.

He ran an eye over the group before he sat down.

"Rupert," he said, with a sneer."

"Severus," Giles replied, equally friendly.

Snape deliberately dismissed Buffy, and earned himself a cool gaze. His eyes narrowed as he reached Spike.

"William?" he said.

"Snape," Spike said. He managed to sound amicable and relaxed.

Snape sat down heavily.

"This is Severus Snape," Dumbledore said. "He is the Potions master here."

He proceeded to introduce everyone else. He didn't seem as amused at Snape's griping as he had earlier. The eyes looking over the half moon spectacles looked very grave.

"What do you know of the situation that the Wizarding world currently faces?" he asked.

Giles gave him a succinct fun down of the information they had. Voldemort had risen again, thirteen years after being deflected by Harry Potter. He wanted to rid the Wizarding world of Muggle-born wizards, and generally rule the world.

"The Minister of Magic does not believe that Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore continued. "Most witches and wizards believe that Harry is somehow mad or anxious for the attention. Most of those who do believe are either Death Eaters, or members of the Order of the Phoenix, which is dedicated to his overthrow. Minerva and Severus are both members – it means that you can trust them. I cannot tell you who the others are, because they don't know who you are either."

"We don't know who they, Headmaster," Snape said. "We only know their names."

"Xander is Sirius's son. Buffy is the Slayer, Dawn is her sister. You know both Rupert and William –"

"And that gives me great confidence in their trustworthiness," Snape said.

Dumbledore sighed.

"I can only ask you to trust them as far as they trust you, Severus. If you want them to prove their loyalty, you will have to do the same."

Snape glowered, but said nothing.

"I hope that we can agree that, whatever our pasts, we stand, now, as allies against a foe greater than any regression we ourselves may have committed. Severus was a Death Eater until he became a spy for us sixteen years ago. Giles summoned demons as a hobby. Spike is William the Bloody."

The cold reserve in Dumbledore's voice kept everyone's objections at bay. Minerva glanced once at Giles for his confirmation, and went back to watching the group in general.

"Harry Potter is the key to defeating Voldemort. There was a prophecy made before his birth, that a child was going to born who would be able to defeat the Dark Lord. Of the two candidates, Voldemort chose Harry, and went after him. The spell to kill him backfired, and fulfilled one of the criteria; 'the Dark Lord shall mark him as his own'. Harry bears the scar. The main gist of the prophecy is that either Voldemort will kill Harry, or Harry will kill Voldemort, and neither can live until that happens."

"There's always a prophecy," Buffy said. "But they don't have to mean what they say. There was one that said I would die and see, still here."

"Your friends brought you back," Snape said.

"Well, it was just Xander – wait, brought back?"

"From Hell," Snape said.

Buffy turned sharply in her chair to Xander.

"You told him that?" she demanded.

"Yes," Xander said, deciding on straightforward honesty in response to Buffy's scowl.

Spike took Buffy's hand. She gave him a cool look of his own, but he didn't back down.

"First time I died it was prophecy, the second time it was me or Dawn."

Severus looked at her sharply; he thought she was hiding something. Buffy however, didn't heed him in the least.

"This is not what we are here to discuss," Dumbledore admonished them. "Harry doesn't know about the prophecy, I haven't … yet had the heart to tell him. Severus, the potion please."

Snape took a small clear vial out of his robes. It contained a small amount of white liquid. He handed it to Xander, who looked at it warily.

"Drink it," Dumbledore said. "It will show us what spells have been used on you."

Everyone watched Xander intently as he uncorked the bottle, swirled the contents and eventually skulled them.

Nothing much happened. Xander screwed up his face from the taste. Dumbledore took out his wand and waved at the young man.

Those with magical talent could see a faint image around Xander. It was like someone had laid another copy of him over what was already there. To Buffy, Dawn and Anya nothing was any different.

Dumbledore waved Xander to stand up. He walked around, examining the image from all sides as it covered Xander.

"Very good work," he said.

He murmured a few phrases and jabbed his wand.

"I think that you can still learn magic with it in place," he said, peering at Xander's left elbow. "I think that it also protects you from being discovered. No one will work out who you are related to, they will have to be told, while you are there, I think. Even once you've visited the Ministry tomorrow, you should be circumspect. In case they don't accept Ms Jenkins's testimony.

"I'll arrange Floo powder for the both of you and Mr Giles."

"You're coming, too?" Xander asked.

"I am also going to the Ministry," Giles amended. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention me while you were there. I have business to take care of, and relations between the Ministry and the Council are strained enough without putting Hogwarts's mad Headmaster in the middle."

He sounded very gloomy. Dumbledore smiled at the praise. Dawn yawned.

"I've very sorry, we missed night time," she said.

"My apologies," Dumbledore exclaimed. "I hadn't meant to keep you up so late. Please, take all the time you need to sleep. I'll have an elf wake you up so you don't miss your meeting, but there will be food available for breakfast at whatever time. Good night."

"Good night," McGonagall echoed, smiling at them.

Snape didn't scowl. Together the three professors left.

"I'm going to bed," Dawn announced. "We can have the discussion in the morning."

She left with a brief 'night.' The others dispersed fairly quickly with murmured farewells, leaving only Buffy and Spike.

"You're going to have to tell them where you were, luv," Spike said.

"I'm not your 'luv,' Spike," Buffy said. "And I'll be fine."

She pushed her own door open. Spike walked up to the cloaked portrait on his.

"She needs help," he said.

"Whatever you say, William," the picture murmured.


	11. Morning meeting and wedding annoucement

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

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**… … …**

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Xander woke suddenly. He was pulled out by the subconscious thought that this was not his, or Anya's bed, and nerves about the fact that at the meeting in the morning he would have to announce his and Anya's engagement.

It was still dark when he opened his eyes, and he was tired, so he assumed it was the middle of the night.

"Xander! It's eight o'clock, we're having the meeting," Anya said.

She pulled the back the hanging around the bed, startling him with the sunlight. When he groaned she poked him.

"You have to get up now, or we won't be able to eat breakfast before we have to go to the Ministry. They won't take you seriously if your stomach grows at them. And you should probably get dressed, too."

"Marry me?" he asked.

"I already said yes," Anya said. "Only you haven't told anyone. I might have to change my mind."

"Please marry me? You have to say yes again or I won't be able to tell the others today."

"You're going to tell them?" Anya demanded, beaming. "Really today? You'll have to get up."

Xander struggled out of the thick bed coverings and shivered. It was cold here. He pulled his dressing gown on quickly and grabbed a towel. Anya grinned at him coyly and kissed him lightly before shooing him out to the shower with his robes.

Dawn and Spike were sitting next to each other. Spike was grinning, Dawn was giggling. Giles was watching them warily.

When Xander emerged, dressed in dark bronze robes again, Buffy and the Anya were there as well.

"Willow and Tara shouldn't be too long," Buffy said.

Her tone gave the suspected reason why. Xander tried to act nonchalant as he sat down. Buffy grinned wickedly at him. As he turned away her grin slipped. Spike ran his thumb over her knuckles.

Willow and Tara looked slightly guilty when they appeared in complementary robes, both half silver and half green.

"So, guys, where're we at?" Willow asked brightly.

Xander stood up. Willow and Tara sat down.

"The plan for today is Anya, Giles and I all go separately to the Ministry. Anya's going to testify to the Wizengamot. I'm going to be officially registered as Sirius's son. Giles is going to do something."

Giles looked slightly confused at the curious glances he got from the others. Only Spike seemed to have some idea of what might be happening. Buffy didn't want to think about the secrets in Giles life.

"But before we go and have breakfast, I have an announcement to make."

He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. He looked at his friends, his family, the people in his life (Spike was not a friend). They were looking at him expectantly, except Anya, who was trying not to grin. He wondered what Willow's reaction was going to be, and Dawn's, and Spike's, too actually, given that he didn't like him. Best way to find out, just tell them.

He gestured for Anya to join him and put an arm around her waist.

"Anya and I are engaged."

Anya took her ring out of her pocket and gave it to Xander to put back on her finger.

The first person to recover from the shock was Spike. Followed closely by Dawn, which was just as well, given the expression on Spike's face as he opened his mouth.

Dawn squealed.

"Oh, my God, guys, congratulations!"

Buffy blinked a couple of times, then nodded.

"Congratulations," Tara said.

Everyone else managed to say 'congratulations,' even Spike. Then silence fell again while everyone tried to think of what they could say.

"Since – ?" Spike began to ask. He stopped himself when he saw Xander looked uncomfortable. He knew.

Willow leaped up and through her arms around Xander.

"Oh, wow wow wow," she said, squeezing him tight.

"Will, still need to breathe," Xander said.

Willow stepped back, and much to Anya's shock, hugged her too.

"You have to be good to him, or we'll come after you with shovels."

Anya nodded. "That's fair," she said.

"Have you set a date?" Giles asked.

Xander looked abashed. Anya pulled hard on Xander's arm so she could kiss him.

"When we're ready," she said.

Xander's goofy grin was probably his worst yet. He kissed Anya soundly. Buffy leaned back in her seat and watched out of the corner of her eye with a soft smile. Dawn was fascinated. Spike was watching Buffy.

"Okay, guys? Congratulations, and all that, but, don't we have things to do today?" Willow reminded them.

They broke off the kiss, looking mildly sheepish.

"We can celebrate, tonight, can't we? A proper engagement party?"

"Party!" Anya agreed, smiling at Xander again.

"Yes, of course," Giles said, quickly. "I'm sure the kitchen can supply something suitable."

They agreed to all be back there for a party at eight o'clock, Giles was in charge of getting the food; he was the only one who had any idea how it might be done. They left for breakfast together. Giles followed a few paces behind them and took his place next to Umbridge after the others had filled their plates.

"He's sitting next to her again," Harry whispered, glaring at Rupert Giles. "I thought that he might have just made a mistake."

"Harry, let it be," Hermione said. "If Umbridge thinks you're glaring at her, she'll give you more detention. Think what Angelina would say about that."

Harry glanced down the table towards the Quidditch captain and the Weasley twins. He sighed.

"Xander doesn't seem to be talking to him," Ginny said.

"Is that a good thing?" Hermione asked.

"He's cute," Ginny said, with a shrug.

Harry glanced quickly at Ginny.

"He's engaged," he said. "He's marrying Anya."

Ginny shrugged again. Harry frowned. She had turned mysterious on him. She hadn't been more than embarrassed before.

"Dawn's not speaking to him, either," Ron said, as if that settled the matter.

Hermione sighed. Ginny reached across the table to pat her hand. Hermione looked thankful for a moment before she forced herself to look confused. Ginny smiled sympathetically. Harry was confused. Ron missed the entire exchange.

Hermione sighed again and went back to studying the blonde couple. She knew that they were related somehow, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen their pictures.

Dumbledore stood up and the hall slowly became silent.

"I hope you are enjoying breaking your fast on such wonderful food," he began. "Several of our guest will be joining today's classes. Please try not to scare them away."

Quite a few people chuckled. Harry caught site of Malfoy sneering at the visitors. He hoped they would be as all right as Xander seemed to think. He was going to point it out to Ron, but his friend was too busy trying work out how many classes Dawn might have with them. Harry felt like banging his head against the table.


	12. Xander's meeting at the Ministry

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

Author's Notes: Hello Second reviewer (ME). I started this story a while ago, and it was recently deleted because it did breach one of the upload conditions. It doesn't any more, but these chapters are reposts. Once I have to start writing again, it will be slower. (But hopefully not too much so.)

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**… … …**

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Xander and Anya arrived at the Ministry of Magic half an hour after Giles. It took Xander a moment to dust his cloak off and resettle it on his shoulders. He still couldn't work out how to move in it properly. Anya was having no trouble, she was already staring wide eyed the opulent foyer.

"This is better than even that palace in Russia," she breathed. "Hallie said that it was the best thing she had ever seen. Mind you, she'd only been in the business about twenty years then. Xander, close your mouth!"

Xander followed her order automatically, but he was still staring at the marble floor, the counters, the bustle of men and women in cloaks, the fire places, the statue that appeared to be gold.

Anya tugged him over to the 'registration' counter and set him in line in front of her. Xander didn't think that was fair. She'd had a thousand years as a professional woman. And she managed to wear her pink robes and dark blue cloak with much more professional ease then he would ever have.

The witch in front of them was sent to have her wand weighed and Xander stepped up to the counter.

"Name?" the wizard asked gruffly.

"Alexander Black," Xander said.

The wizard didn't react and the quill in front of him wrote the name on a piece of card. Well, Xander thought, it's hardly an uncommon name.

"Reason for visit?"

"To register my birth," Xander said. It sounded a bit ridiculous, but he had until twenty-five for a legal registration.

The wizard waited for the quill to finish writing before he handed the card to Xander, told him to catch the lift to the births, deaths, marriages and permanent realignment office. Xander stepped out of the queue but waited for Anya to explain that she was Anyanka, here to testify in the case of the Ministry versus Sirius Black. The wizard didn't react to her information anymore than he had to Xander's. He merely grunted when she said she didn't have a wand and directed her to see Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Anya was quiet as they waited for the wizard on duty to examine Xander's wand and give Anya a pass for not having one. When she still hadn't said anything by the time they got into the lift with the flying memos Xander began to get nervous.

"Are you okay, Ahn?"

"What if they don't believe me?" she asked. "Then you won't be able to get to know your dad. And you'll have a house in England, you won't like that, it really does get colder than today."

"Shh," Xander said, as soothingly as he could through the nerves. "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it. And if they don't believe you, you'll be able to get Hallie to curse them for you, won't you?"

Anya seemed to brighten at the thought. Xander kissed her, glad that she was still pretty much herself.

Xander smiled as they parted ways, and waved to her. He walked through the corridors in a little daze. The offices seemed so familiar in so many ways. Except that the memos delivered themselves, and everyone was wearing robes, and occasionally said things "the Floo's down at Carmichael's, get him to walk. We can't risk him splicing himself."

He eventually found the right door and knocked once before being admitted into a cramped and dusty room with one crowded desk, a large four draw filing cabinet and one spare chair. The current occupant was a young man who looked very nervous. It calmed Xander a bit, knowing that he was the more in control.

"P-please have a seat. My name in Robert O'Leary."

"Alexander Harris, well, Black," Xander said. "That's why I'm here."

"Sorry, why?" Robert asked.

"My parents were both wizards, but I was adopted by Muggles. Professor Dumbledore has agreed to let me train at Hogwarts, but I'm not legally a wizard."

"Great man, Dumbledore," Robert said, as if by rote. "Papers?" he asked hopefully.

Xander handed over the papers his parents had given him and the letter his mother had left with Dumbledore explaining what had happened.

Robert took a form from the top filing draw and began to fill it out from the documents in front of him. He reproduced the letter with a wave of his wand. When he'd finished he handed them across the table for Xander to sign.

"Is that it?" Xander asked.

"Formality," Robert said. "The someone will run some tests on it to make sure the information is correct. We just need to make sure you want it to be. Do you want to be Harris, or Black? The adoption does still hold by Muggle law, so in America you would be Harris, even now you're a registered wizard here, because that is the name you were registered in the country with. I can put the adoption through the Wizarding records too, if you want."

"Aren't I registered twice if you don't?"

"Yes, but you would be anyway, here and in America."

Xander quickly reassessed Robert. He had seemed a bit gawky, he still did, actually, but he knew what he was on about.

"Does it effect inheritance?" Xander asked.

"In your case, no," Robert said. "Your father has no other children, has never married, and never left a will. He also never signed any adoption papers."

"Harris, then," Xander decided. It would cause less problems.

Robert wrote something at the bottom of the form.

"You can still use Black legally if you wish to, you just need to let us know."

"Sure thing," Xander agreed.

"Thank you for coming in," Roger said. He whipped his hand on his robes before holding it out to Xander.

Xander shook it gingerly, but smiled before he left.

He wandered around the floor for a while. But Anya was probably going to be longer than he had been. He felt kind of strange, like something had changed. Maybe it was just that he was where he was supposed to be, he thought. Although he know idea where he actually was. He hoped he might be able to find someone who might know where his fiancée was.

He literally walked into a tall balding man as he watched a paper aeroplane launch itself into the air.

"Oh, golly, watch it, who are you?" he heard.

"Sorry," Xander said quickly. "I just never saw anything like it before," he added, pointing the piece of paper.

"You're Muggle born?" the man asked.

Xander stepped back slowly. This man seemed to be excited by the idea.

"Yeah," he answered slowly.

"What brings you to the Ministry?"

"Ah, I just had to register as a wizard before I go to school," Xander said. He realised that that was probably too much information when the man read his name tag and his eyes widened. Xander tried to think of an explanation. Before he could say anything the man was grinning broadly, and dragging him bodily down the corridor.

"It's just fabulous to meet you. My name is Arthur, by the way, Arthur Weasley, I head the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. You simply must explain to me how ecsalators work. Or is it escatalor?"

Xander found himself in another a cramped, although not so dusty office.

"Does Sirius know about you?" Arthur demanded.

"Yes," Xander said, he wasn't about to argue with this man. He seemed to become quite formidable in the small space.

Arthur relaxed, and seemed like a kid with a railway set again.

"So you're not actually Muggle born?"

"No, but I was Muggle raised. You didn't happen to see a woman with pink robes, here, did you? Anyanka?"

"You know her? Absolute breakthrough for us. She reckons she can prove Black innocent. Just as well it was Kingsley in today, he already knows that he is."

"I know her," Xander admitted, and nothing more.

"Circumspection's good," Arthur said. "Maybe until Kingsley brings Anyanka here, and he probably will if he doesn't go straight to Fudge with the evidence, then we can pretend that you're just Muggle born and you can explain how fellytones work."

Xander tried to remember everything he had ever heard or been told about telephones. His explanations weren't aided by Arthur butting in with extra questions and his own interpretation of the importance of eceltricity. They had moved onto screws and drills, which Xander did actually know about, by the time Kingsley arrived.


	13. Kingsley gets to meet people

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

.

.

.

**… … …**

.

"So," Kingsley began for the fourth time, and extremely slowly, "You were at Godric's Hollow the night Lily and James Potter were killed?"

"No," Anya answered, with complete assurance and calm. "I was on my way there when Lily was killed."

"Why?"

"She had been betrayed by a man. I was a Vengeance Demon whose particular calling was women who had been betrayed by men. I was England to repay a favour to someone. Lily was betrayed and I felt her thirst for Vengeance. Before I could teleport, which is like apparating, to her side, she was killed."

"Can you describe the man who betrayed her?"

"He was relatively short for a man. He was slimly built, had pale hair, and a narrow face. I thought when I saw the image of him in Lily's mind that he resembled a rat."

"Does the man who betrayed Lily and James Potter resemble this man?" Kingsley asked.

He handed over the stock photos of Sirius Black, and one that had been taken over the summer because Sirius looked much less like a skeleton in it. Anya took the photos and made a point of looking at each one. Except for the last they barely resembled the man she knew as Sirius Black.

"No, that is not the man who betrayed the Potters," she said, handing the photos back.

Kingsley had to suppress a grin. It was unlikely that Dumbledore didn't know about this woman, even though she hadn't said anything about where she had come from. But her story had stayed straight through several different retellings.

"Would you submit to questioning under Veriterserum?"

"Yes."

"Would you submit to a memory extraction with a pensieve?"

"What's that?" Anya asked.

Kingsley licked his lips, working out what to say.

"We take your memories of the event out of your head and present them for the court to see."

"Do I get them back again afterwards?" Anya asked.

"Yes. And we only take the ones that are relevant to the actual case."

Anya felt a great flood of relief at the acknowledgement that they wouldn't be going through her mind. Several of her memories were very private, and she liked to enjoy them on her own.

Kingsley put the file together and stood up. He gestured for Anya to follow him out of the interview room.

"I sent a memo to a colleague about what you had to say. We need to meet him now to discuss how best to go about it. I'd take you straight to the Minister, but he's meeting someone at the moment, and Arthur deserves a heads up. Please, come with me."

He lead her through the hallways and Anya tried to appear like she was familiar with the place. They came to a closed door at the end of a short hallway. Kingsley knocked briefly and pulled the door open.

"It stores the electricity…"

"Arthur! You'll have to translate what this woman is blathering about," Kingsley announced before he realised that there was someone else in the room.

Xander looked at him with unconcealed shock, until he saw that it was Anya with him, and the expression became anger.

"For the benefit of whoever was outside," Arthur explained.

"Arthur, Anya Jenkins, Anya, this is Arthur Weasley," Kingsley introduced them.

Arthur beamed and shook Anya's hand enthusiastically. Anya seemed pleased with the attention. Arthur introduced Xander with equal enthusiasm. Kingsley was very pleased to make Xander's acquaintance. Xander cut him off when he was going to introduce him to Anya.

"This is the start of something big," Kingsley said, looking at the couple cramped into Arthur's office.

"It's big already," Arthur said. "If we can get Sirius off, that's bad for You-Know-Who. And for Fudge, he'll have to … ah, we can't do much with him. You've heard what that Umbridge woman is doing at Hogwarts?"

"I didn't like her," Xander said. "But Giles seemed to."

"Rupert Giles?" Kingsley asked.

He shared a look with Arthur, who seemed excited. Kingsley himself was nervous.

"Yes," Xander confirmed.

"He's the one meeting with the Minister," Kingsley said.

Arthur's face broke into a grin. Kingsley was just confused. Arthur looked quickly between Xander and Anya.

"Oh, Rupert," Arthur said, shaking his head.

Kingsley knew that Arthur was often strange, but he had never felt so put off before. The Minister had been delighted to be meeting this man – Fudge was a fool, but he was very suspicious.

"I think that we should let Miss Jenkins and Mr Black go, Kingsley. It won't do for you to have spent too much time here. I'll hear what happens at Hogwarts from Ron. In the meantime I really must go back to work. You two should go back to the school," he added, "explore a bit. There's a Quidditch game on Saturday, thank goodness they got the team back together."

"What do you know about Giles?" Xander demanded.

"Who is he?" Kingsley added.

Arthur looked a little bit taken aback. Xander was beginning to think that it was all a front.

"We were at school together for a few years. Strange fellow, got me interested in Muggle things. I came across him again about five years ago. If you trust him, trust him. If you don't, you don't, I'm not going to tell you anything."

"That's fair," Xander said. "Circumspect."

"I know it's not like anyone is going to be hitting our fellytones," Arthur said, "But we should all be careful. Tell Dumbledore what happened and we should see you soon."

Kingsley wanted answers more than Xander and Anya did, but he had even less excuse for being in Weasley's office. Last time they'd tried to talk, Avery had been called in, possibly about getting Umbridge into Hogwarts, come to think of it.

He held the door open as the other past and sent one last annoyed glare in Arthur's direction before he left. As the lift closed on Anya he remembered why she had actually come in the first place. It would take several hours to write a report the Minister would have to accept and Malfoy couldn't dispute; regardless of what magic Rupert Giles could do.


	14. Dawn meets the Golden Trio

Disclaimers, etc see part one.

**… … …**

Dawn joined Harry, Ron and Hermione in Transfiguration. Hermione immediately saved a seat next to her for Dawn. Ron automatically sat on the other side, and Harry slid into the seat next to him with a sigh.

"Dawn, where are the others?" Hermione asked, before Ron could say anything.

Harry didn't think that Ron was really thinking straight enough to actually say anything to Dawn.

"Willow and Tara are staying with Professor Flitwick to sit with the First years. I'm just following my age group around. I think Spike took Buffy to see Hagrid's creatures."

"Do you think she'll like them?" Ron asked.

Dawn smiled at him. "Oh yeah, she'll like non-evil magical things. And Spike likes being outside."

"Are they together?" Hermione asked, she sounded intensely curious.

"They really should be," Dawn said. "But Buffy thinks he's not good enough for her, but she trusts him now."

"What about Giles?" Harry asked.

He wished he hadn't when Dawn looked at him. She wasn't pleased, but Harry couldn't tell if it was because she liked him or didn't. He didn't get to ask because McGonagall started the class. Dawn insisted on taking notes and Ron tried to keep up with her.

McGonagall smiled. Hermione grimaced a couple of times, and immediately felt very annoyed with herself. 'You do not like Ron, you do not like Ron,' she tried to tell herself, 'you never liked him; for one thing, he's too tall.'

The match she was supposed to be half turning into a worm suddenly bent itself in half until it snapped. McGonagall frowned slightly.

"You don't need to try it so fast," she said. "You can't simply put the characteristics of the worm into the match, as you can see, they clash. But not many people could manage to actually do that to a match."

Hermione didn't seem to appreciate the comment. She flinched as Dawn giggled. Ron's match was successfully wiggling across the desk. McGonagall ran a speculative eye over Dawn.

"Okay," McGonagall said, as the class reach the end. "Try practicing making your matchsticks go in a particular direction. Dawn if you could stay for a moment after class?"

The class finished and Hermione dragged Ron away so Dawn to talk to Professor McGonagall.

The stern witch waited only until Neville started to close the door. "That is Rupert Giles who came with you?" she asked.

"Yes," Dawn said.

"He's still the man he was when he left here?"

"I don't know," Dawn said. "Was he worshipping demons when he left here?"

McGonagall almost collapsed against the desk with relief.

"Sweet Merlin's beard," she breathed.

"You don't want him to be evil, do you?" Dawn asked. She'd liked McGonagall, and Giles had spoken highly of her. And given that Giles's plan was that most of the school thought that he part of the Ministry, it would have been nice to have a grown up adult to talk to.

McGonagall looked at Dawn again. "If he told you that, he trusts you, and he's trying to bluff he's way past Fudge."

"Everyone's going to hate him for it, aren't they?" Dawn asked.

"Except the Slytherins," McGonagall agreed. There was a faint twist in her voice, like she was unsure about that now. Dawn had seen the Slytherins at breakfast and Padma, who had sat next to her in Charms, had described them as not quite as nice as weasels.

McGonagall shook herself out of her thoughts. She gestured for Dawn to lead the way out of the classroom. Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting outside to escort Dawn down to lunch.

They had had a whispered argument about how much trouble Dawn could possibly be in. Hermione had assured Ron that it much more likely that they were discussing Dawn's schedule. Harry had had to drag them both down the corridor before they began arguing loudly.

"Look, we'll just wait till they come out. We can offer Dawn a place to sit with at lunch."

Ron had immediately agreed. Hermione had rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. But her curiosity had eventually won.

"Dawn, we were wondering if you would mind sitting with us at lunch," Harry said.

"Sounds good," Dawn said.

She was pleased to have someone to talk to who was her own age. And Hermione was able to answer any of the questions she had about the castle. Padma had also told her that in the few minutes they had had before Flitwick had arrived.

"The ceiling's enchanted," Hermione said, as Dawn stared up again.

"I had wondered about that," Dawn said. "I haven't seen much long term charm work. Certainly nothing so grand."

Willow and Tara, in their green and silver robes, arrived behind Dawn and the others, and trailing several first year Hufflepuffs.

"How was your class, Dawn?" Willow asked.

"Oh, you'll love transfiguration," Dawn said. "There's all this physics stuff involved. I didn't understand much but you should talk to Professor McGonagall."

Dawn put a little bit of emphasis on the last clause. Willow was staring at the ceiling again, too, but Tara nodded her understanding at Dawn.

"Would you like to sit with us, too?" Hermione asked.

"Thanks, but we're eating lunch with Mark and Christopher."

Tara smiled down at the two little boys who nodded happily. Mark took Tara's hand to lead over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Will Xander and the others be back for lunch?" Dawn asked.

She'd just noticed Buffy and Spike sitting with Hagrid at the teacher's table, but couldn't remember about the others.

"I'm not sure about Xander and Anya," Tara answered. "But Giles definitely won't be."

She grabbed Willow with her spare hand allowed herself to be lead away. Dawn followed Hermione, Harry and Ron. They sat together with the other fifth years.

"What did you think of McGonagall?" the boy opposite Dawn asked. Seamus, she remembered his name was, to be distinguished from Dean, who was sitting beside him.

"I like her," Dawn said decisively. "She seems like she knows what's she's doing. Does she have a sense of humour?"

"A little bit, I think," Dean said.

"She hasn't killed Fred and George," Ron added.

Dawn giggled.

"Oh, once you meet them, you'll want to kill them too," Ron said. "Everyone does at some stage, even mum."

Dawn nodded. It sounded like they would get on with Xander.

"Hey, where's Umbridge," Harry said suddenly. "She's always on time to lunch."

Everyone looked at the teacher's table.

"What's she up to?" Hermione wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Dawn sighed. "The only one of us she liked was Giles."

Hermione and Harry both looked suspicious. Ron didn't want to think about it.

"Have you ever seen a game of Quidditch?" he asked.

When Dawn shook her head, he, Seamus and Dean proceeded to explain the games and the tactics to her with great enthusiasm. Harry was drawn in too, because he was also on the team. Hermione took a book out to read, ignoring how much Dawn seemed to like Ron back.


	15. Giles's plan and Snape's suspicion

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

**… … …**

Fudge opened the door into his office to let Professor Umbridge in. Giles stood up as she entered and offered his hand. She shook, her hand limp, but he smiled pleasantly.

"Glad you could make it, Dolores," he said.

"Rupert was telling me about how he came to be in England," Fudge began, happily.

"Yes, unfortunate business, that," Umbridge said, with a grimace.

"Let's have lunch," Fudge said. He rang one of the little bells on his desk. There was a loud crack and a house elf appeared, dressed in a purple tea towel draped like a toga.

"Please sirs and ma'am, who may Twinky serve.?" he asked with a bow.

Umbridge sneered at the creature said that she would like Steak and Kidney pie. Giles ordered Toad in the Hole with relish, it was not something that he was able to cook himself. Fudge ordered 'whatever was good,' and dismissed the elf with a wave.

They sat around the meeting table in one corner of the plush office.

"Now, Rupert, has Dolores been able to give you an account of how things are at Hogwarts at the moment?" Fudge asked.

"Yes, a little," Giles said. "We've spoken a little about what has happened over the year. I understand what her job consists of."

"Keeping those little rodents in line," Umbridge muttered.

"Yes, that, too," Giles agreed with a sigh.

The food arrived and he was able to hide behind his eating. It really was good Yorkshire pudding.

"I would like to have you back in office," Fudge told Umbridge. "Weasley's good, and dedicated, but he doesn't have your experience."

Umbridge chewed her pie crust carefully before answering.

"Those kids are getting on my nerves. And that Harry, Merlin, Fudge, he's even worse than I thought he would be from your reports."

She shivered eloquently.

"I have dealt with worse from some of the children in America," Giles said. "At least Hogwarts teaches wizards. I had to deal with Muggles."

"This is what I suggest," Fudge began. "Dolores, you return here to help me and the Ministry. Giles can teach Defence at Hogwarts and keep an eye on Dumbledore."

Umbridge ran a beady eye over Giles. She looked questioning at Fudge while Giles concentrated on not holding his breath.

Fudge shrugged, "Oh, we can trust him," he said, completely unconcerned by the fact that Giles was there. "He's my cousin."

"Really," Umbridge asked, with something between polite curiosity and indignant surprise.

There wasn't a lot of family resemblance between the two men. But she accepted their word, or at least Fudge's, and agreed to the swap; anything to get away from those kids if there was someone competent keeping Harry Potter in check.

**…**

Giles arrived back at Hogwarts with Professor Umbridge at the end of lunch. He didn't get to see any of the Sunnydale people until dinner. He spent the time sitting in on Umbridge's classes, ostensibly to learn how the course was to be taught. He hoped the second year Hufflepuffs weren't too traumatised by the experience. Dawn followed Ron to Herbology and met up with Buffy and Spike for Care of Magical Creatures. Anya and Xander had returned in time to catch Willow and Tara and they had gone back to their rooms to teach Xander the charms they had learnt while Anya described the Ministry.

When they arrived in the entrance hall before dinner, there was a crowd around the notice board, blocking the doors.

"Read it out," someone called.

Lee Jordan was somewhere near the front and raised his voice.

"Educational Decree Number Twenty-Five," he read.

There were general groans from the crowd.

"As per Educational Decrees Twenty Two and Twenty Three the positions of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor and Hogwarts High Inquisitor were filled by the Ministry."

"We knew that," Seamus said.

"Hang on, there's more. 'These positions are now to be filled by Rupert Giles. Professor Giles will replace Professor Umbridge as of the Second of November. By order of the Minister of Magic and Dolores Jane Umbridge.'"

Many whispered conversations sprung up immediately, but no one moved. The Sunnydale group, with Ron, Harry and Hermione were stuck near the stairs with no where to go.

"So, you aren't hungry?" a curious voice asked.

They all spun to face Snape, who was staring over the milling crowd.

"Perhaps I'd better ask the elves to forgo dinner tonight."

"Please, Professor," Hermione said, sure that Snape would do just that. "Professor Umbridge is to be replaced by Professor Giles."

Snape tried to hide a smirk. "Hardly cause for excitement, wouldn't you say, Miss Summers?"

Dawn had heard enough about Snape to take a step back into someone. But the potions master had turned the full force of his oily glare onto Buffy. She stared back at him. They stood glaring at each for a few moments before Snape broke the spell. He leant forward and whispered in Buffy's ear so no one else could hear.

"You're hiding something, girl. If it poses any threat to these students, I will know what it is."

"And how do you think to manage that, hey?" Spike asked, just as quietly.

Snape eyed the man sideways. No one could have hearing that good. From the annoyed look he had earned from Buffy, she knew how he came by his skills. Another secrets to win from her, but at a different time.

"This is an entrance hall, not a social gathering," Snape snapped at the crowd. The students quickly began to file into the Hall, but were careful to clear a path through the middle for Snape as well. Spike took advantage of it to lead Buffy through the crowd. Dawn followed them, as did Tara and Willow, and all the whole Sunnydale group were seated together at the Teacher's table again, except Giles who was between Sprout and Umbridge.

"How was your day, Will?" Buffy asked.

She'd opened the flood gates as Willow described all the spells they'd learnt, and theory behind them, and Willow's own thoughts on how wands worked and whether Anya had enough magic to use a wand herself, and how much Spike really needed to begin to learn.

"Hagrid's a good bloke," Spike said. "I'd be perfectly happy helping him out."

"That's cause you get to be outside," Dawn said. "Do you have a tan yet?"

"It'll take a few days, bit. Always tried to avoid one, growing up."

"Why?" Buffy asked.

"Well, only the workers have tans, love. It wouldn't do for William Marmot look like a peasant now, would it. Strange how those things change."

Spike served himself some stew before passing the ladle to Dawn and began eating.

"Well, I made friends with Harry and his friends," Dawn said.

"You like him?" Xander asked.

"Yeah," Dawn said. "They're a strange group, but they get along well. He's annoyed about something."

"He's a fifteen year old boy," Xander said.

"I think so," Dawn said. "But that doesn't mean that there's not something going on."

"When you say like," Anya added, "do you mean in a special way?"

"No," Dawn said. "Although his friend, Ron, is very nice."

Buffy gave her a sharp look.

"And he has a pulse," Dawn said defensively.

"Well, we're meeting them all after dinner," Tara reminded them. "Except Giles, I think. Is the Ministry really so bad that we're going to have to pretend that we don't like him?"

Xander and Anya shared a look. It certainly seemed like that from their meetings with Ministry people. They nodded. Buffy sighed loudly. Spike was going to talk to her, but she was staring at the food on her plate with an intensity edible food did not normally deserve.

When they'd finished dinner they retreated to the privacy of their own rooms, Giles was finally able to talk to them. He didn't have a choice, they accosted him as he came through the door.

"So you'll be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Dawn asked, sweetly.

"Yes," Giles said. He was wary of her tone of voice.

"Will you actually teach it, or will you just make the students read a theoretical text book?"

"I'll do the best I can," Giles said.

He tried to get to the painting on his door, but Buffy stood blocking the way.

"Buffy…"

"You're supposed to be helping this kid, and instead you've joined the Ministry, who refuse to believe that he's in danger?"

"I got Umbridge out of Hogwarts. I have to play the part or Lucius Malfoy's son will tell his father that I was bluffing, and you'll have Umbridge back, and probably extra controls as well. I really shouldn't be here when Harry and his friends arrive, I've no way of knowing how well they can act."

The two men in the painting stopped their argument long enough to listen to his.

"He's right," one of them said.

"Anything to keep Hogwarts free of the Ministry," the other one added.

"You're only saying that because I did," the first one said.

"Since when have I agreed with you?"

"That's what I mean."

Buffy stepped aside and Giles opened his door. He began putting his clothes into a pile to be carried over to the Defence Professor's quarters.

"If you ever need to talk to me, Buffy," he said, as he left again, "You only have to come and ask. But you're well able to look after yourself now."

Buffy gave a look which said quiet clearly he had no earthly idea what he was talking about. Giles sighed, but he still left.

"Okay, so we hate Giles," Xander said. "But we can still look after Harry. And we know that Giles is doing all he can to help."

Buffy snorted. Spike moved quickly to put both hands on her shoulders and stare her in the eyes. Buffy looked decidedly uncomfortable, but she didn't try to move away. Dawn smiled. They'd obviously gotten on well at Hagrid's.

Willow insisted that Spike at least learn to make different coloured sparks with his wand. Tara worked Anya through some basic Wiccan control exercises. Buffy and Dawn were left out of the magic group, but Dawn managed to bully Buffy into teaching her some basic defence moves. And so they passed the time until their guests arrived.


	16. The Scoobies meet the Gryffindors

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

**… … …**

Harry had expected Snape, McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore to go with him and the others to meet Xander and his friends. As it was McGonagall collected him, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny from the Gryffindor table and lead them to a new door in the corridor.

"How did that get here?" Hermione asked.

"It's always been there," McGonagall said. "You can see it because I've lead you here. You have to do it deliberately, so don't worry too much about giving them away. You'll all be able to go in now."

"You aren't coming, too, Professor?" Fred asked.

"No, Mr Weasley, I will not."

"Are they going to eat us?" George asked.

"No, Mr Weasley, they will not," McGonagall sighed.

Hermione punched George. McGonagall rolled her eyes. She gave them all a glare for good measure before she turned and left.

Harry pushed the door open and lead the others through. The Sunnydale group were scattered about the room, without Giles. They looked up startled at the intrusion. Dawn dropped her arms and ended receiving a punch in the stomach from her sister.

"Hey!" Dawn said.

Buffy shrugged. "You were distracted," she said.

Buffy ignored the new people and went to sit down on one of the chairs. Dawn smiled at her friends and their friends. And introduced herself. The other Weasleys introduced themselves, then the Scoobies and eventually Harry, Ron and Hermione gave their names as well. The Scoobies were uncomfortable because they knew about the prophecy and Harry didn't. The students were uncomfortable because they didn't know who these people were.

"How was your day, Xander?" Harry eventually asked.

"I went to the Ministry," Xander said. "I had to register my birth."

"I didn't tell them," Harry said.

"Aha. I'm Sirius son," Xander said.

Ron blinked a couple of a times. Fred and George shared a grin. If he was anything like Sirius, he might be willing to help them test things. Ginny smiled, because she had been right. Hermione frowned.

"But Sirius isn't old enough is he, I mean…"

"He was seventeen when I was born," Xander said. "I'm twenty one."

Hermione nodded.

"Hey, why don't we all sit down, and work out how we're going to help you guys, or you're going to help us this term. Because there's a lot of magic to learn, I haven't even done as much as Willow and Tara."

"You're Wicca?" Hermione asked. "I didn't believe in magic before I got my letter. No one here knows very much about Wicca, not even Professor Thatcher."

"My mother taught me," Tara said.

Hermione's eyes brightened and Harry knew that she was dying to ask questions.

Xander was staring at the four red heads. "You're all related, aren't you?" he asked. No one has yet given last names except him and Harry.

"Yeah," Ron said. "We're all Weasley's."

"Weasley's?" Anya repeated. "We met your dad at the Ministry today. Arthur?"

"Yeah, that's our dad," Fred said. "Very interested in Muggle things."

Xander rolled his eyes and sighed eloquently. Ginny giggled.

"What were doing at the Ministry?" Harry asked.

They eventually all sat around on the floor while Anya described her mission to the Ministry. Willow and Tara asked a few questions about spells, Fred and George generally made fun of things. Even Buffy laughed at a couple of things. Slowly the groups got used to each other.

Ron manoeuvred himself to sit next to Dawn. Dawn was well aware of what he was doing, and rather pleased with the attention. Buffy watched Ron suspiciously. Spike leaned over to her.

"You'll have to let her go one day, Buffy," he said. "He seems a nice enough kid."

Buffy glared. Spike chuckled, but let her be.

"How long are you going to stay?" Ron asked.

Everyone stopped.

"Until it's done," Buffy said.

"That could be ages," Ron said. "We don't know what You-Know-How is planning."

"I think Dumbledore has some good ideas," Hermione said defensively.

"Until Voldemort is dead," Buffy said.

She seemed so removed and sad, sitting on her chair above everyone else. The other's all turned to look at her properly.

"That is his name, isn't it?"

"Most people don't say it," Harry said. "They can't."

"He can't be as nasty as Glory," Dawn said. "And we used her name."

"Lots of people didn't," Tara reminded her. "We didn't know her name for a long time."

"But once we did, we used it," Buffy said. "It's stupid getting scared of a name. If you can't even say it, how on earth are you going to stand against him in person."

The students paled visibly. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"We won't have to face him, though," Harry said. "It will probably be Dumbledore who fights him."

Buffy sighed. Xander shot her a warning glance, and glared at the reassuring hand Spike had placed on her arm. Ginny noticed the tension.

"Do you any special powers, Dawn?" she asked.

Dawn looked her.

"I mean, Xander, Willow and Tara can do magic, and Anya was a demon. Do the rest of you have special powers, too?"

"Once every one thousand years my blood can be used to suck the world into hell," Dawn said.

"Whoa," Ron breathed, eyes wide as he stared at Dawn.

Dawn grinned at the look on his face.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"It's not a good story," Buffy said.

Quiet fell over the room at the gravity of her tone. Everyone felt quiet uncomfortable, especially Dawn. No one had any idea of what to say.

"Spike's a vampire," a voice said.

Spike leaped up and faced the painting on his door.

"What are you doing listening to our conversation?" he demanded.

"I was bored, William. What do you want me to do, write poetry?"

Spike turned his back on the painting. Harry and his friends were staring at him in shock. Fred and George had put themselves between him and Ginny, and Ron had his wand out.

"I'm a good vampire," he said, rolling his eyes.

Buffy giggled and he relaxed.

"Do you think Dumbledore would have let me in if he didn't trust me."

Ron lowered his wand.

"He didn't know about Quirrel or the fake Moody," Hermione pointed out.

Fred and George took their wands out, too. Harry stood up.

"Guys, it's okay," Xander said. "We've all know Spike for a while. The government put a chip in his head, he can't bite humans anymore. He can't even hit them."

"Not that I'd want to eat any of you anyway," Spike said, sitting back down. "Except maybe you," he said, nodding at George, who blushed.

"Buffy?" Hermione asked.

"Hmm?"

"You can't be the only normal person here."

Buffy almost laughed. If it weren't for her 'special skills' the group wouldn't be there.

"I'm the Slayer," she said.

Hermione's eyes widened again. "Wow. That's … that's fantastic. Wow."

"You're real?" Fred demanded. "But, well, wow, that's cool!"

"I wonder if …" George trailed off.

"What's the Slayer?" Harry asked.

"A Muggle given special powers to fight vampires," Ron said. "Most Wizards think it's just a myth."

"Here and alive," Buffy said.

She couldn't keep all of the bitterness, despair, anger and guilt she felt at the situation out of her voice.

"Sorry, guys, it's been long day, I'm going to bed."

She stood up.

"It's only half past six," Hermione said.

"We missed a night," Buffy said quickly and made for her picture.

Spike stood up, too, but only watched as she left.

"Go after her, you idiot," his painting shouted at him.

Spike gave his painting the finger, but followed it's advice.

"We should probably be going, too," Hermione said in the following silence. "We have work to do."

"Yeah," Ginny said.

"I don't want to do work," Ron said.

He did look perfectly comfortable sitting next to Dawn on the floor.

"You could show me your Common Room," Dawn suggested. "Do you play chess?"

"Ron's the best player in the school," Hermione said.

"Well, Willow taught me," Dawn said. "So we'll have to see."

Ron stood up and offered his hand to Dawn. Dawn grinned and let him pull her up. Hermione pulled Ginny to her feet. Everyone stood up.

"If you ever want to come and talk, we'll be here or around somewhere," Xander said.

"Thanks," Harry said. His friends nodded.

"We'll make a date for some theory sessions, Hermione," Willow said. "We're teaching Anya, too."

"I look forward to it," Hermione said.

"It was good to meet you all," Anya said. "Dawn, will you be back for the party?"

Dawn blinked. She didn't really think it would be much of a party now. But there was no way she could tell Anya that in any subtle manner.

"Sure," she said. "I'm sure I can thrash Ron pretty quickly."

"Oh, good," Anya said.

Dawn smiled weakly and lead the others out of the room. Fred and George fell back and began whispering furiously.

Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara shared an uneasy silence as they left.

"I know a very good way to spend the next hour," Anya announced.

Before either Willow or Tara processed what she had said, she grabbed Xander and dragged him to their room. Tara gave Willow an amused look.

"I think she may have a point."

"I agree," Willow said, deciding to ignore everyone else except her girlfriend.


	17. Snipets of what else is happening

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

**… … …**

Dawn appeared again a few minutes before eight. The lounge area was empty and she fell into one of the chairs with a sigh. The Gryffindor common room had been large and noisy in an excessively comforting way. She considered knocking on Spike's door, or Willow's to get them to play chess. But Spike's door was glowering at her and she was sure that Willow was doing much more interesting things with Tara.

Eight o'clock came and the door was pushed open. Dawn leaped up and relaxed only slightly when she was that it was Giles. She then saw that it was Giles carrying a large pile of food and rushed to help.

"Thanks," Giles said, trying to balance the food, plates and drink on the table.

"You brought food," Dawn shrugged.

"I'm sorry about earlier. But if you are on good terms with Harry, and I'm on good terms with Fudge and Malfoy, than we've got both sides covered."

"I got it," Dawn said. "I'm not sure about Buffy, but well, hopefully Spike will help her get over that."

Giles raised one eyebrow at her slowly. Dawn grabbed one of the doughnuts he'd gotten from wherever and bit into it. She ended up with jam on her nose and grinned at him cheekily.

Giles decided to leave her be with her disturbing notions and glanced around the still empty room.

"We did say eight, didn't we?"

"Yeah. But they thought that you were evil, so… Guys! Food!" she shouted.

Spike threw Buffy's door open and bounded into the room.

"You don't eat," Giles said.

"Not going to pass up a good party, now, am I?"

"And what were you doing in my Slayer's room?"

"One, she's not your Slayer, now is she? Two, it wouldn't be your concern anyway. Three, the total weight of what I know that you don't would stun a team of oxen, so back off."

Giles sighed. "You've been watching too much television, Spike."

Spike shrugged and grabbed a mini apple tart. Buffy appeared from her room. She spared a small smile for Giles took her chair again. Dawn quickly took a plate and filled it with food for her sister she collected a glass as well and presented them.

Buffy accepted both with affected grace and smiled when Dawn giggled.

The others appeared in various states of neatness which everyone else politely ignored.

"I told you they'd be a party," Anya said. "It what happens when there's happy news to celebrate. Oh, chocolate!"

"That's right, it's a party," Willow said. "So we need decorations."

"Are you sure?" Tara asked. "Aren't we pretty enough as it is."

"Just some sparkles?" Willow said.

She pointed her wand at the ceiling and a sudden puff of green sparks appeared and hung in the air. Tara added her own her own multicoloured collection.

"How did you do that?"

Tara grinned enigmatically. Willow raised a questioning eyebrow. Xander felt he had to butt in before the non conversation became too suggestive. He tried to produce his own decorations, but while he could make red sparks shoot into the air they quickly disappeared.

"You just need to practice more," Willow said. She tried again and was able to create red and green sparks at the same time.

Spike pulled his wand out of the his robes and pointed it at the ceiling too. The generally haze of sparks now included some black ones which collected the other colours and began to glow faintly.

"Well done, William," his painting said.

Buffy craned her neck to look at Spike.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"No one important," Spike immediately said.

The painting scoffed. But when Giles turned to look at him, he buried himself in his cloak again.

"Does anyone want to say anything?" Giles asked.

Dawn began to cough.

"Sorry about the sparks?" Willow said.

"To mark the occasion, I think he meant, Red."

Xander cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming … out of your rooms to spend time with Anya and I and eat the food that Giles got … from somewhere."

"The kitchens," Giles supplied.

"We probably could have done it without you, but than it wouldn't be as much fun. Here's to us, even Spike."

He raised his glass and everyone drank.

Giles was relaxed, Buffy had spent over an hour talking through things with Spike, and Xander had accepted the vampire as a good guy, or at least not as bad as Voldemort. Anya was finally having her engagement party. Tara was pleased with Willow's control over her magic, Willow was pleased with her progress and Dawn had her family back.

And they were, of course, going to beat the big bad and be victors once again.

…

Ron moved a pawn to block Harry's bishop. Harry ran his fingers through his hair and tried to remember why this was easier than divination homework.

"Do you think Giles might just be pretending," Ron said. "He doesn't seem evil."

"Dawn seemed to miss him," Harry said, staring at the board. "And seeming has nothing to do with it.

He went to pick up his knight, but hesitated.

"Still, I think …" Ron began.

"Oh stop it," Hermione snapped. "There is still homework to be done. You can't copy mine."

"But Dawn did seem sad."

"I don't want to hear about Dawn!"

Hermione closed her books and stood up.

"Hermione," Harry said. He thought he knew more than Ron about what was happening.

"It's okay, Harry. I just remembered where I saw Spike and Buffy's photos together. I'm going to bed, we have potions tomorrow."

Harry nodded like that made sense and took Ron's rook with the knight.

Ron stared after Hermione, quiet perplexed.

"She did seem sad when she was here, didn't she, Harry?"

"Mm."

…

Snape flipped the page back to make sure that he had instructions in order before adding the powered bicorn. He stirred the potion carefully and reviewed the effect that bicorn had on the mixture.

The ingredients of Veritaserum were deceptively simple. It was the combination that made them so effective. The next stage of the plan would be finding someway of getting it into the Slayer and asking her some pointed questions and about her association with Rupert and William.

He'd have to keep a careful eye on her sister, too. What ever effected one would show itself to an extent in the other. And the girl would probably be in class too. His heart leaped with joy at the thought.

"You dark, sarcastic man," he scolded himself. "You know that something is happening."

…

Sirius wandered through his house in the dark. It seemed less threatening in the almost black. It seemed more familiar, too. He hadn't got any more used to the idea of having a son in the five days since he had found out. He thought that it was five days, what with the trans-Atlantic travel.

The house, though, was already preparing itself. Alexander Black had been written onto the tapestry, although not Mariana. He would have torn the name off with the grief, except that he liked the boy, and he did have something of his mother's sweetness in him.

It wasn't grief as much as white hot anger at Peter, which was itself tempered by the hope that he might be proved innocent.

He cracked a laugh.

"Kreatcher! A bottle of wine for the christening!"

It was the least destructive thing he could throw. It was probably the happiest thing that had happened in the house for a long time. Mother would hate it, it felt good.


	18. PreQuidditch Draco interlude

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

Spike's quote 'the total weight of what I know that you don't would stun a team of oxen' in previous chapter is a misquote from the West Wing episode The Stackhouse Filibuster. Hopefully Giles will remember its significance before Snape gets to Buffy.

**… … …******

Draco watched the owls expectantly at breakfast. His own owl appeared and he grinned. He fed him a piece of toast as he read the letter from his father.

_Dearest Draco,_

_Thank you for you letter. I did already know of the plan to install Rupert Giles as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. I expect you to give him every respect you have given the previous occupant of that position. I do not know what experience he has, but he is the Minister's cousin._

_The Minister himself has said nothing about the other visitors to Hogwarts, so please do be aware of them and their interactions with other members of staff._

_Your mother and I look forward to seeing you at Christmas._

_Father._

Draco crumpled the letter before either Crabbe or Goyle could read it. It wouldn't do to have either of them know more than they had to about his instructions. Neither of them could help him with observations anyway; they were neither inconspicuous nor natural liars.

He dropped the piece of paper on the floor under the table. Blaise, opposite him, suddenly dropped his fork and bent to pick it up.

"What did you're father say, Draco?" Pansy asked, as they left the hall.

"Usual, be a good boy, don't piss the teachers off," Draco shrugged.

Pansy nodded as the statement had had profound meaning. Hefting his books on his shoulder he walked out ahead of the throng.

None of the visitors were in his first class, but he knew that the girl, at least, was following Potter and his lackeys. The four of them were almost late to Potions and took their places on the other side of the room just before Snape swept in.

Snape seemed distracted through most of the class. He even left for a whole minute at one stage to check on something in his office. He left the door open, which meant that Draco was able to observe the Gryffindorks without drawing attention to himself, but he still couldn't do anything to them.

Not drawing attention to himself had been part of this year's game plan since the talk he had had with in father in August. Lucius Malfoy didn't want a weakling or a follower for a son, so he was practice his skills of observation and make up his own mind about where he stood by the end of the year.

Dawn was intently watching Hermione's potion making process and taking notes. They were both following Snape's explicit rule that Dawn was only allowed in class if she did not disturb it in any way. Draco thought that looks Ron was throwing her way from the desk behind were quiet disturbing enough, but he did seem to be working.

The times that Snape was patrolling the class were times Draco kept his head down and worked, but he did notice that the looks the Professor gave Dawn were no more reassuring than Ron's. It was particularly speculative, and Draco hoped it was never turned on him.

Of course, not drawing attention to himself meant behaving exactly as he always had towards everyone else in the school.

He didn't say anything as they went to hand their potions up and the end of class, but he did leave with the group on the way to the Hall for lunch.

"What are you hanging around for, Malfoy?" Ron sneered.

Draco suppressed a grin. The Weasel was jealous, and it seemed that Granger was jealous of that. Cracks in the dream team were something to write home about.

"I didn't think you could do worse than Weasel, before you hooked up with Granger, Potter," Draco sneered. "But it seems we can all be proved wrong."

He turned back and let them be carried by the crowd before they could retort. Blaise pulled him further out of the crowd.

"What was that about?" he demanded.

Draco grinned madly. The outrage on Ron's face had been well worth it. But antagonising Potter was a fairly sure way of drawing attention to himself. Blaise raised one eyebrow and Draco sighed.

He shrugged in response and turned away. Despite Blaise's position in the hierarchy and general trustworthiness, Draco didn't like anyone knowing how he really was. It was why he kept Crabbe and Goyle around.

The goons found their way out of potions and to his side and Draco led them to lunch, leaving Blaise, and now Millicent, too, in their wake.

Apart from noticing that Dawn spent her days with Harry, Ron and Hermione; Spike and Buffy spent theirs with Hagrid; and the others were attending various first year classes; Draco was more interested in the weekend's Quidditch match than spying.

His reply to his father said only that he would report on Rupert Giles once he had something to report. He was much more concerned about writing enough of the Slytherin Quidditch team's new song.


	19. Minerva and Giles have tea and argue

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

New Challenge conditions from Cutiepie:

Willow and Tara each making a wand, and given them to Dawn and Anya. Possibly Dawn's wand contains one of Willow's hairs.

Anya writing a book on vengeance demons to 'correct' the ones she found. Xander is weirded out, but supportive.

The only thing Buffy tells Snape while under the Veritaserum is that she was in heaven.

Giles explaining Willow that the Watcher's Council order him to keep her out of the Wizarding world.

Snape smartening himself up once he and Minerva get involved, and the entire school wondering if he is possessed.

**… … …**

The rest of the school awoke on Saturday in a fevered excitement. Dawn had begun to be worried for Ron over the previous few days, and be more suspicious of 'ferret boy.' Ron looked as bad at breakfast as Dawn had felt with Angelus on the loose.

Buffy leaned closer to Spike over her porridge.

"What's a game of Quidditch actually like?" she asked, eying the great hall.

"You'd have to ask Giles," Spike said. "I've never seen a game. Heard a lot about them. Slytherin and Gryffindor have been rivals forever, they're playing today."

"I can see that," Buffy said. The entire hall was wearing red and gold or green and silver, except most of the teachers.

Dawn had told her about the blood haired boy, Malfoy, who had been taunting Ron. She supposed that the houses were a good idea for a boarding school, but they seemed to produce rivalries that might not have otherwise existed.

The rivalries were well present during the games. Dawn was sitting with Hermione and Ginny in the Gryffindor section and Giles was sitting with the Ravenclaws, but the rest of them were sitting at the back of the teachers section with Hagrid, who was more than happy to explain the rules in between yelling abuse at the Slytherin players.

Xander and Spike were getting quite involved by the time Ron had missed his fourth goal.

"Don't worry," Hagrid said. "Harry's never lost a snitch, well, except that time he fell off his broom because the Dementors. He even caught it the time he was thrown off his broom."

He cheered loudly as Gryffindor scored their first goal of the game and Slytherin stopped singing for a moment.

"And if Harry gets the snitch they win right?" Xander yelled.

"Yeah," Spike told him. "Look! Here they go."

Draco and Harry were diving towards the ground. Buffy could see the small speck of silver and gold they were aiming for. She also saw the intense look of hate in Draco's eyes.

Spike, sitting beside her, winced as one of the black balls, a bludger, came across the field and knocked Harry off his broom. But he stood up, clutching the little winged ball in his fist.

Buffy, Willow and Tara cheered along with everyone else. Xander jumped up, waving his arms in the air. Spike was staring at Malfoy with a 'ha, got ya!' expression.

It turned out Malfoy wasn't a good loser, though. Something was happening down on the ground. Harry grabbed one of the Weasley twins, and the three chasers grabbed the other, all six of them yelling at Malfoy. Buffy leapt up.

"What's happening?" Willow asked.

"There's going to be a fight," she said, pointing.

Xander and Spike followed her out onto the grounds, but they were too late. By the time they arrived McGonagall had dragged Harry and George away and Draco was a lump on the ground with a annoyed looking Madam Hooch standing over him.

Xander took Fred off the Chasers and held him down.

"Where's your brother?"

Fred looked over his shoulder to where McGonagall was marching Harry and George towards the school.

"No, the other one, Ron."

Fred shrugged. "I think he went to change."

"Wise move," Xander said.

He headed off to the change rooms, too. Angelina, Katie and Alicia pulled Fred along behind him. Spike was behaving menacingly enough to stop the other Slytherins going after them.

Willow and Tara made it down to help Madam Hooch take Draco to the infirmary and Madam Pomfrey just as Giles marched past.

"Giles, where are you going?" Buffy demanded.

He raised a mocking eyebrow.

"I'm the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. I'd appreciate it if you didn't question my doing my job in public."

He turned his back on them to follow Willow and Tara.

The crowd had cleared from the stands and the ground, leaving only Hermione and Ginny behind with Buffy and Spike.

"He came here with you, didn't he?" Ginny asked, with an air of sympathy.

"We were never friends," Buffy replied, staring at the retreating back of the one person she should be able to trust above all others.

Spike gently took her hand and lead her back to their rooms.

Giles stalked through the school as quickly as you could stalk. He arrived at McGonagall's office to find her still lecturing the boys.

"Excuse me," he said.

The look she gave him was no more welcoming.

"Maybe I can help?" he said, with sugary pleasantries. He was pleased to see Harry tense at his tone.

"Help?" Minerva bit off. "I'm perfectly capable of assigning detentions, Mr Giles."

"I think detentions are relatively lenient in this case."

"That is not for you to decide."

"Actually it is," Giles said, still smiling. "My predecessor was quite upset that you overruled her previous decision regarding the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Sit down, Mr Potter!"

Harry had leapt to his feet, clutching his wand. But he slowly sat down. Mr Giles looked much more dangerous than Umbridge ever had.

"The Minister has since issued Educational Decree Number Twenty Six. '…the High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. Signed Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, Order of Merlin First Class, etc.'"

The other three occupants of the room stared at him dumbly.

"I think you should both serve your detentions. Harry with Professor McGonagall, Mr Weasley here and his twin with me. On top of that I think all three of you should be banned from all Hogsmead visits for the remainder of the year."

"You can't do that," George said.

"I believe I just did, Mr Weasley. You are both dismissed, I suggest you change."

Both boys stood and slumped out of the room. Giles collapsed in a chair. He handed the parchment with the new decree on it across the desk to Minerva.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Family," he said. "Who'd have them?"

"Thankful for us that you do," Minerva said.

"Trying tell Harry that. I'll be much worse playing mean than Dolores could ever be actually trying."

"What about Buffy?"

Giles sighed, and took off her glasses to clean them.

"There is something she hasn't told me. I don't want to know what it is."

"Ripper," Minerva said.

Giles smiled. He's always admired Minerva, and she'd always been able to get him to do what he needed to.

"I was sorry about Harold," he said.

"So was I," she said. "But that was twenty years ago. I've had to come to terms with it. What's happened to you, Rupert? Your relationship with Fudge is useful, but the man I knew would never have abandoned his charges."

"She died."

"Buffy? I know. Xander told us. But you should have investigated formal schooling for Willow and Tara."

"That's not my fault," Giles said.

"The Ripper I knew wouldn't have blamed anyone else for the position he was in, or for anything he had or hadn't done."

"The Minerva I knew would have avenged her husband's death," Giles said, only mildly pleased when his barb hit home. He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. Minerva wouldn't accept an apology, now.

There was a stir of magic followed by the clink of china. He felt Minerva's hand on his shoulder and flinched.

"You're behind on a lot of news, Rupert," she chuckled.

"And we don't have a lot of time."

"You should at least tell me her name," she said, quietly.

Minerva poured tea and handed Giles his, just as he liked it. She took a quiet sip from her own and watched him. He seemed to have aged more than she had in the last twenty years.

"Jenny," he said. "Well, Jana, actually."

She didn't say anything as he began to tell her what had happened to him since she had found him the alley behind Ethan's house and sent him back to Oxford.

Eventually she was able to tell him the details surrounding James and Lily's deaths, the Longbottoms and the Prewets. Giles regretted that they had not kept in better contact. There were things you couldn't talk about with the people involved, but they didn't have a lot of time now, and he was supposed to play her enemy.

Her clock struck lunch and they both started.

"We should go down," Minerva suggested.

"We can't look pleased at having spent so long together," Giles said.

"That shouldn't be a problem, Ripper. I'm not happy."

Giles chuckled at the dryness of her tone, and Minerva barely managed to suppress her own smile. She punched him lightly and he quickly adopted a more sober expression.


	20. Post game discussion and plans

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

This is the first of the chapters that was not on before the story was deleted. Two more chapters (after this) before you're up to date.

I accidentally included Hagrid before he actually got back. So, we'll just assume he back earlier J

**New Challenge conditions:******

Riley appears, as an okay guy.

Fred and George pulling Muggle inspired pranks on Snape, Hagrid and Dumbledore, and Giles, and someone else.

Mention of a non-Scourge vampire (Buffy-verse or otherwise).

Xander has to fulfil some Wizarding requirement before his next birthday, and he isn't happy about it.

There is some Black family issue with Xander's marrying Anya.

**… … …**

The rest of the school seemed in reasonably good spirits. Despite Ron's poor performance, the Gryffindors had won. Xander and Dawn were sitting with the Gryffindor team, on either side of Ron. Harry sat opposite his friend, flanked by Hermione and Ginny.

"Oh, did I tell you about Miss French?" Xander said.

"No," Harry said, leaning in for the story.

Ron still wasn't capable of answering anyone's concern. But whatever Xander had told him before the others had arrived to change, combined with Dawn's attentions had put some colour back into his cheeks.

"Well, she was the substitute Science teacher when we were in our Sophomore, what's that? fifth year. She was very attractive."

"And interested in bugs. So she went right for Xander," Dawn said, smirking.

"You weren't even there."

"I still remember."

"Anyway. She wasn't really looking for bugs. She was looking for… Actually, it's not a very interesting story."

Ron was suddenly much more interested. But Xander had gone back to his lunch.

"I'll tell you guys later," Dawn promised them. "Poor Xander."

"There are much more exciting Buffy fighting stories," Xander said.

"Are there any about Spike?" Hermione asked.

Xander scowled into his plate of casserole. Hermione looked expectantly at Dawn.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked. She had learnt over the last week to recognise the burning thirst for _answers_ in Hermione's eyes.

"Well, I recognised Buffy and Spike from the History of Dark Creatures: Vampires book. They have a whole chronology for him, do you know why he was called William the Bloody?"

Dawn shook her head. "You could try asking him. He's changed a lot from when he first came to Sunnydale."

"Yeah," Hermione said. She and Dawn were able to share a knowing grin, because none of the other Hogwarts students knew about Spike.

Hermione went on enthusiastically, "the History of Vampires had some amazing stories in it. Buffy is mentioned, too."

"Really?" Dawn asked, suppressing a thrill of panic. "I'd love to see it."

"I borrowed again earlier this week. I could show you after dinner. It's good. It's a few years old, though; it ends with Angelus and Akathla. It doesn't say anything about what happened to Spike."

"The government put a chip thing, like for a computer, in his head," Xander said. "It means he can't hurt humans."

"And then he fell for Buffy," Dawn said.

"What guys will do for girls," Hermione sighed.

Harry looked affronted.

"I once drank an entire gallon of Gatorade," Xander said, proudly.

"What's Gatorade?" Ron asked.

Harry leant over to explain about sports drinks.

Only Hermione looked appropriately put off by the declaration. Xander sighed and cut up another mouthful of food. Dawn was briefly relieved by the change in topic. But she should have learnt that Hermione's curiosity was difficult to deflect.

"That doesn't explain how he was accepted here," Hermione said.

"Nothing does," Xander said.

"It's a long story," Dawn said. "Buffy wanted him to come, and Giles obviously wrote to Dumbledore about it. He helped us when Buffy was away."

"So you know Giles well?" Harry asked. "I mean, I know he came with you, but I thought Dumbledore had contacted you himself."

Xander and Dawn shared a startled look. Xander nodded briefly for Dawn to explain.

"Willow found out that Xander's father was in England. Anya works with Giles in the Magic Box, so we asked him he knew of Hogsmeade, and he wrote letters."

"Buffy said that he wasn't a friend," Hermione said.

Dawn shook her head, agreeing with that assessment.

"We know him because of his job. He was never a friend, but I liked him. I don't trust him anymore."

Hermione didn't have anything to say in response, but she looked sympathetic. Dawn had a moment to reflect on how much of what she had said was actually true. She knew that she would be wherever Buffy wanted to be, but she was beginning to think that their visit to Hogwarts could be more than the holiday she had hoped for when Buffy hadn't questioned taking her out of school.

Her pensive thoughts were interrupted by McGonagall and Giles arriving with in steps of each other. They weren't happy, but they had definitely been talking to each other, probably since Harry had been sent out of McGonagall's office.

"I had a lesson with McGonagall, today," Xander said. "I can turn anything you want into a button."

Ron pinched a bit of mashed potato off his plate, moulded it into a disk and placed it on the table. Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust. Dawn grinned. Xander raised his wand and with an over the top flourish produced a button out of the mashed potato. It was a bit lumpy, and an off white colour, but it was definitely a button. Dawn clapped.

"What about charms?" Dawn asked.

Xander spent the next few minutes floating things and making small showers of different coloured sparks. Hermione, particularly, was intrigued by his progress, because he wasn't going along with the classes, instead getting training from Willow, Tara and McGonagall.

Xander chuckled at the attention his meagre magic was getting. Draco Malfoy seemed to find it equally amusing.

"You're doing well for someone who's practically a Muggle," he drawled. "But, then, I don't suppose you could actually have been worse than your father."

Xander shrugged. He was fairly sure that some of what he had seen would cause this ferret to wet his pants. Dawn scowled, mostly on Ron's behalf, but was weary of her relative weakness.

Ginny grabbed Harry to keep him down. But Hermione leapt to her feet.

"Did your father have to teach you how to try to be an annoying git, Malfoy?" she said.

Draco raised one mocking eyebrow at her.

"Because I thought snide remarks were the last resort of the weak and stupid."

Draco's jaw clenched, and Hermione felt a thrill at knowing she had gotten to him. He ran an eye over the teacher's table, including the menacing looking Spike. Two of them, Willow and Tara, were already headed in his direction so Draco turned and swept away.

Hermione glared daggers at his back as he walked away.

Willow came up to them, watching Malfoy, too.

"Do you want me to do something to him?" she asked.

"I'll get him one day," Hermione said.

Ron looked at her, a little taken aback by, and in awe of, the venom in Hermione's voice. Willow took a place beside him; Tara sat on the other side of Dawn, opposite Ginny. She spared the girl a smile.

It took Harry that long to realise that Ginny still had a hand on his arm. The slight pressure was soothing, and his arm was warm where her hand had rested. Harry grinned at Ginny, who blushed and took her hand away. She was pretty when she blushed like that, Harry thought, and quickly turned his attention back to the table.

Willow and Hermione were making arrangements to do some magic training together. Ginny was eager, too, so the three of them, Dawn and Tara began trying to work out when they could have a meeting.

They finally agreed on Monday.

"We were going to do that other thing on Monday," Harry said.

It took a moment for Ginny and Hermione to work out what he meant.

"Oh, well, they can come, too," Hermione said. "I'm sure they've got loads they could tell us."

The newcomers shared a glance. Harry turned a questioning look with Ron. Ron seemed to like the idea of spending an evening with Dawn, even in the company of a lot of other people. But Harry was still slightly paranoid. He wasn't sure if Professor Giles couldn't be trusted, and then if these people would tell him things. He wanted to trust them, but he didn't want to make any mistakes.

"We like to keep the meetings secret, you know," he said. "Because our last Defence teacher banned all clubs and would have reported it to the Ministry."

"That's okay," Xander said. "We'll be in our rooms from after dinner on Monday, and you can come and pick us up, or something."

Harry spared a glance for Seamus, sitting further down the table and nodded at Xander's suggestion. They would meet on Monday evening. The group finished their lunch together, then Dawn joined Harry, Ron and Hermione to visit Hagrid.


	21. The Scoobies attend a DA meeting

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

**… … …**

Dawn spent the day with Ron, Hermione and Harry again. She passed notes to Ron in history, which at least kept him awake. Snape was being his usual snarky self in Potions, although he seemed excited about something. Draco did, and said, nothing during the class and the day seemed like it might be good.

But then, during Divination, Dawn remembered that they had to go to Defence Against the Dark Arts. She still wasn't sure how to relate to Giles and hadn't turned up in any of his classes yet.

Giles didn't register her appearance. He simply gave the class a chapter and stood in front of his desk and watched them read.

Hermione sighed and pulled her book out. She also pulled out the copy of the History and handed it to Dawn.

"What are you reading, Miss Summers?" Giles demanded.

Dawn closed the book to let him read the title. Giles swallowed hastily.

"Okay," he said, stiffly.

Dawn knew that he understood and went back to reading the chapter on "William 'the Bloody': Spike." It talked about 'the Slayer' as if there had only been one, ever, she simply looked different each time you saw her. There was a description of the Slayers Spike had killed, and then it went on to describe his return to Sunnydale and the resurrection of Akathla.

The account stopped there. There was a fanciful, but fairly accurate, engraving of Spike and Buffy fighting, to show that she beat him and he left. But nowhere was there any talk about the Watcher, and his relationship to the Slayer.

Dawn looked up at Giles, now sitting behind his desk at the front of the classroom, and wondered if he remembered that Watchers also had a sacred duty.

Defence classes put Dawn in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Hermione said that Giles was much better than Umbridge because he let the class discuss the theory, but it didn't help Dawn much.

She sat petulantly in their sitting room as Willow and Tara helped Xander and Spike with their spells. Buffy didn't seem to care either; she just went through a series of training exercises.

Eventually Spike gave up trying to Silence things and joined Buffy. They sparred across one end of the room while Xander watched suspiciously. Dawn smiled though; if Buffy and Spike were getting on, things were getting better.

Eventually they were interrupted by a knock on the door and Dawn opened it to let Ron and Ginny into the room.

"What are doing?" Ginny asked.

"Waiting for you," Spike said, ducking under a blow from Buffy and aiming a grin at Ginny.

Ginny blushed.

Ron offered Dawn a gallant hand, and she accepted with a grateful smiled. As the Americans followed their redhead guides through the school, Xander stepped beside Buffy and nodded to Dawn and Ron.

Buffy glowered at their still joined hands, but there was more good humour in the looked than anything else.

Ron stopped in the middle of an empty corridor. Xander raised a suspicious eyebrow, and then a curious one when Ron started to pace along the corridor.

"Do you agree never to talk about this where someone might hear?" Ginny asked.

They all nodded. Suddenly a doorway appeared in the wall beside Ron. He looked up delighted.

"Nifty," Willow said.

She stepped forward to run a hand over the doorjamb. Tara shook her head in response the questioning look Willow threw over her shoulder. She had no more idea how it worked than 'magic.' Willow sighed, but let Ron open the door and lead them into the room.

Harry looked up from his position at the front of the room when the door opened. He was very glad to see everyone arrive. The rest of the D.A looked up surprised at the new people.

"Who are they?" Terry asked.

"You were introduced to them last week," Hermione answered.

"And why are they here? Didn't they come with the new Defence Professor?"

There was sudden hostility in the room as the other students realised that Terry was right, and the visitors suddenly shut themselves off. Dawn stepped forward, but it was Anya who spoke.

"Giles is evil and we don't like him any more. If you want to fight the bad guy, we're here to help."

"I invited them tonight," Harry said. "And Dumbledore invited them to Hogwarts."

Both comments calmed the room of students and Willow was impressed by Harry's understanding of his crowd.

"You'll have to put your names on the list," Hermione said. "It's for all members. And you agree not to tell anyone about this. We're called Dumbledore's Army, because that's what Fudge and You-Know-Who are afraid of."

"We're not going against You-Know-Who, are we?" someone asked.

"He might come after us," Harry said, bluntly as their visitors lined up to sign Hermione's piece of paper.

Tara paused as she bent to sign her name and ran her hands over the page. She looked back up at Hermione.

"Useful spell," she said, clearly. "What does it do?"

The attention of the whole room suddenly focused on Hermione, who blushed darkly. Willow was examining the paper now. She turned the face the rest of the room who were staring suspiciously at Hermione.

"When you wrote your name of this piece of paper you agreed never to give the D.A's existence or purpose away?" Willow asked.

There were nods.

"The spell will simply make it very clear who the betrayer is, if the group is betrayed. You have not been coerced, but if it all falls apart, you can know that you had no choice. You would not exist if you didn't all want to be here at the moment," Willow explained, her voice firm and insistent.

Several students looked quite uncomfortable and shifted uneasily. But others looked around the room with something akin to disgust, daring anyone to say they wanted to freedom to betray the others.

"If nobody says anything, you're all safe," Willow said. "Okay?"

Eventually everyone nodded and Hermione sat down with relief.

Harry stepped forward to continue the meeting. He explained that Dawn and her friends had some unusual skills and might teach them. The Scooby gang shared startled looks. Xander passed any responsibility to Buffy, who looked out over the seated students with a faint grin.

"I can teach you how to fall," Buffy offered.

There was silence for a moment.

"How will that help?" Neville asked.

"Stun me," Buffy said, walking out to the middle of the empty space at the front of the room.

When no one raised their wand, Harry did.

"Stupefy," he said.

A red spark shot out of his wand. Buffy dropped onto the floor, her hands in front of her to break her fall, and was on her feet again, ready to meet the next attack. Suddenly three people raised their wands and shouted the spell. Buffy dodged all three, and then the next five.

"Okay, stop," Harry yelled. He blew his whistle and was rewarded by silence interrupted only by the occasional awed, 'wow.'

"Now, Spike and I are the only ones who can move that fast," Buffy said. "But I can teach you enough to escape, or regain your wand. Do you know what the first rule is?"

No one moved.

"Don't die," she said.

The room broke into applause.


	22. The twins have detention, Harry gets one

Disclaimers, etc see part one.

Many thanks to ChaosGirl, whose comments on the first half helped me write the second. I have a beta now, it's really cool.

Added to the Challenge: Giles trusts Trelawny's ability. She develops a crush on him, but is also able to accurately predict some things, in a minor way.

**… … …**

Harry had served his detention with Professor McGonagall just after dinner, but the Weasley twins were required at Giles's office at eight o'clock. They glanced at each other nervously before Fred knocked brusquely.

"Come," a voice said.

They shared another glance and opened the door. Giles was sitting behind his desk writing what seemed to be lesson plans.

"Sit," he said.

Fred and George took seats on the far of Giles's desk and waited. This was the strangest detention they had had, and they had many to compare it to.

"Do you know why you're here?" Giles asked.

"For fighting, or almost fighting," Fred said, unable to resist the chance to make his point.

"It is no more than my predecessor would have done," Giles said. "And I have heard a great many things about the two of you."

He let the comment hang there, while Fred and George squirmed slightly and wondered whohe had been talking to. They also knew better by now not to speak unless they had to.

"You can both lie effectively?" Giles asked.

He still seemed more interested in his lesson plans than in the twins, but there was an intensity behind his question that almost froze Fred and George in their seats. But they were not easily perturbed.

"Yes," Fred said.

"You're the quiet one, then, George?" Giles asked.

"Yes, sir. How can you tell us apart?" he asked. Most teachers got around it by calling them Mister Weasley.

"There's a charm on the Sorting Hat," Giles said. "All teachers know all the students' names. It doesn't work on Binns because he's dead…"

The twins shared a grin.

"Lying is all very well. But can you keep a secret? I mean let no one, and I mean no one, know that there is anything to know?"

"Harry Potter gave us his Triwizard Tournament winnings to start a joke shop. We're organising premises in Diagon Alley, our mother has no idea," George said.

He received a shocked glare from his brother and an amused smile from Giles. He nodded towards the Professor.

"Let's make a deal," Giles said.

"Professor?" Fred said cautiously.

"Giles," Giles insisted. "At least when it's just us. Hear me out before you object. Minister Fudge, as well as being my cousin, is a complete drongo. My friends cannot spend time with me, but I feel that I could give you both detention at least once a week."

He watched Fred and George weigh the options silently.

"In return for making sure that Harry and my friends are okay, for passing on messages for me, and for pretending that I'm evil and, more importantly, a Ministry toerag, you will have access to the second dungeon classroom and my personal supply of potions ingredients."

Fred and George stared at him with identical expressions of shock and awe. Giles saw them mentally putting two and two together, working out how it all made sense. He picked up a quill, and with deliberate movements took a piece of parchment and smoothed it across the desk.

Fred and George had a silent conversation while Giles bent to write. In the end George shrugged as if to say 'he's not the maddest person we've ever done business with.'

Fred said, "We agree."

Giles looked up from his paper with a faint smile.

"Thank you," he said, and held out his hand.

Fred and George each shook hands with him in turn.

There was a moment's pause while the twins wondered what they were supposed to do know and Giles realised that he couldn't let them go yet.

"How's your mother?" he asked.

"She was a bit stressed last we saw her," Fred said, having decided that Giles was sincere and trustworthy.

"She's not at all keen on us doing the jokes," George said.

Giles smiled sympathetically. "I can imagine that," he said. "My own mother was sceptical about my chances of succeeding."

They spent the next hour and a half trading prank stories and ideas before Giles decided that Fred and George could leave. He promised to let them have the second dungeon for their next detention. They shook hands solemnly as they parted.

****

Fred and George had given Harry dire warnings against getting a detention from Professor Giles. Apart from how angry Angelina would be, Professor Giles was apparently awful.

"Worse than Umbridge?" Harry asked sceptically.

Fred nodded, seriously. "He's mad," he said.

George gave a slight and emphatic nod.****

With their warning and the success of the D.A Harry was prepared to face Defence on Thursday. He also had Hermione and Dawn on each side of him murmuring calming things to him as they read, although he wasn't really listening.

But Professor Giles seemed to be out to get him. He opened the class to discussion for the last twenty minutes as usual and Neville raised his hand.

"Mr Longbottom."

"What about trying to fight a group?" he asked.

It was the question Harry would have asked if Hermione had let him say anything. He had spent the lesson trying to fit the 'defensive strategies' chapter with his own experiences in the graveyard before summer.

"Evil centres itself in one person, Mr Longbottom," Giles said. "That's what this chapter is to prepare you against. Groups of people tend to resist."

"But You-Know-Who has many supporters," Neville insisted quietly.

"'Had' Mr Longbottom. Five points from Gryffindor for forgetting such basic history," Giles said casually. "And I can assure you that as fifth years, you are not going to find yourselves surrounded by supporters of the Dark Lord."

"Like Lucius Malfoy?" Harry demanded. "Because he and a whole lot of other Death Eaters tried to kill me in June."

"Mr Potter," Giles said, with obvious restraint. "I would remind you that Lucius Malfoy is a respected member of our community, and is held in high regard by the Ministry. Once Sirius Black is recaptured all Death Eaters will be behind bars."

"He's already behind bars, because of people like you!" Harry shouted, all of the frustration he felt on Sirius's behalf spilling out. "He's innocent, the Ministry stuffed up, just like they did with Buckbeak. Mr Malfoy is a Death Eater, and Voldemort came back!"

There was a ringing silence in the wake of Harry's use of Voldemort's name and he discovered that he was standing up.

"Detention, Mr Potter," Giles said.

He saw the determined, recalcitrant set of Harry's jaw and added, "with Professor Snape. I'm sure he can think of something for you to do."

Harry fell dumbly back into his chair. He knew he'd have to pay for the outburst, but even despite Fred and George's warnings he hadn't minded the thought of setting his wits against the new Professor's. After all, what better way to get to know him? But Snape would be worse than usual because he could claim that Harry was wasting his time.

"He's clever," Hermione said, as they left at the end of class.

"Yeah," Dawn said, sadly.

"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" Ron asked. "I thought you thought he was better teacher than Umbridge."

"He is," Hermione said. "That's the problem. He's able to control the discussion, so people think that they're really learning properly when they're not."

Harry was still dreading Snape, and filled his plate for dinner on autopilot.

Snape was equally put out when the new Defence Professor informed him of Potter's latest punishment.

"You are unable to go through with your own threats?" Snape asked, with a sneer.

"I can't stand the boy," Giles said. "But I feel the Headmaster would be unhappy if any permanent damage were to befall him."

Snape almost smiled at the thought. He was still having difficultyworking Rupert Giles out.

"I think that is a reasonable arrangement," Dumbledore said, quietly, from the other side of Snape. "I'm sure Professor Gilesneeds to makes sure his lesson plans meet Ministry approval."

Snape nodded, pleased with the comment and the chance to torture Potter a little bit. Giles nodded, too, as would anyone who had heard only Dumbledore's words and not his tone. Dumbledore was pleased that they were both able to play their parts.

Snape swept down to the Gryffindor table after dinner and stood over Harry.

"Detention, eight o'clock, my office, tonight, and tomorrow."

He swept away again and Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked weak on his behalf.

"At least I don't miss Quidditch training," he said, trying to grin.

"Training's not going to help anything, Potter," Draco's voice came from behind him. "Weasley's still our king."

Ron leapt to his feet, half a beat behind Hermione. Harry stared at Ron, silently begging him to sit down, lest he also receive a detention. Dawn had her hands clenched around her cutlery. Ron sat down and reached across the table to pry the fork from her fist.

Hermione and Draco were still glaring daggers at each other.

"You don't deserve a king like Ron," Hermione hissed. "You're the prince aren't you? Isn't that good enough? Although, you've never beaten Harry to a snitch, have you?"

Draco drew his wand. Dawn flinched, even though she couldn't see it. Hermione stood up straighter and drew her wand as well.

"Hey, what's going on here," a jovial voice asked.

All six of them turned to Xander, who was smiling warmly at them.

"Are we going to have a demonstration? I can transfigure mice into mittens now. It's kind of handy, given how cold it's getting. Do you want a pair of mittens, Dawn? The only time I've been this cold was the year it snowed in Sunnydale. And that night on the road to Oxnard."

Dawn chuckled. Draco was staring at Xander with disbelief and contempt. But he decided not to risk a confrontation and swept away. His robes didn't create quite the same effect as Snape's, but you could see that it was only an issue of practice.

"Are you okay, Dawn?" Harry asked.

Dawn nodded. "I'm just not used to not being able to fight. It's kind of unpleasant."

"One day, I'm just going to hex Malfoy so bad he's going to be in the hospital wing for a month," Hermione said, still staring at the Slytherin's retreating back. "Can we do some hexes in the DA, Harry?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't know what he could say when faced with the fervour in Hermione's expression.

"We could try a glamour," Dawn suggested. "Are you and Ginny stopping by tonight?"

Hermione shook herself free of her vindictive thoughts and smiled.

"Sounds good," she said. "My Arithmancy essay isn't due until next Monday, so I could take some time off tonight."

Ron rolled his eyes, and Harry grinned. Neither of them would have started thinking about an essay due after two more weekends.

"Are you going to join us after dinner, Dawnie?" Xander asked. "It's what I came over for, we haven't had a proper Scooby meeting for a while."

Dawn grinned. "I'll be there," she said.

Harry relaxed as Dawn did, and he smiled in reply to Xander's wave farewell. The confrontation with Malfoy had also served to break through his anger with Snape and Giles, and he was able to eat his dinner. Things seemed to be setting into an okay rhythm for the term.


	23. The man in Spike's painting is named

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

Author's Notes: Thanks once again to Chaos for beta-ing, and making sure I don't use too many commas or take too much for granted.

This is the first 'live posted' chapter to since the story was deleted.

No new challenges, so on with the story.

**… … …**

Dawn said goodbye to her new friends after dinner. Ginny and Hermione headed back to the Gryffindor common room, but they would be back at seven. They wanted to do some homework and give Dawn some time alone with her sister.

Dawn fell in beside Tara as they walked to their rooms. Buffy and Spike were already there, sitting in their chairs, chatting. Dawn took a chair next to Spike, but Tara stood, watching them as the others filed around her.

"How was your day, Bit?" Spike asked.

Dawn grimaced. "Malfoy teased Ron about Quidditch again. And it's no fun not being able to try anything. How about you? How's Hagrid? Have you got any freckles, yet?"

Dawn squinted at Spike, who waved her away with a grin.

"I'm fine, Pet," he said. "And so's the giant."

"You may be able to do some magic eventually," Willow said, plonking herself in the chair next to Dawn. "You did the spell to bring your mother back, and Buffy did the pulling back the curtain one. You've got aptitude, it just depends on how much power. Same for Anya."

Anya looked up sharply from her place in Xander's lap. Xander looked up too, and smoothed the top of his robes. He tried to look nonchalant, but Anya was still playing with his top button.

"We'll have a lesson with Ginny and Hermione later," Tara said, trying to ignore them. "We'll see how that goes. The theory is really quite different. And there are some things I can do with a wand more easily."

"Like what?" Spike asked, with a suggestive grin.

Tara blushed and promptly sat down.

"There's the flying spell," Xander said. "You'd look kind of silly pointing at things."

"And you don't even have to know what it is," Willow added. "You can float anything, you don't have to worry about the air, or gravity, or all the other forces."

"You still have to be mostly calm, though," Tara said.

Willow blushed at the memory. She'd gotten frustrated trying to float her egg and it had ended up smashed on the ceiling. Professor Flitwick had explained that he used eggs to encourage precision, but that he'd never had the pleasure of yolk dripping on his head before.

"What about you, Buffy?" Dawn asked.

Buffy jerked out of a light doze and stared around the room.

"What? Oh, I'm good."

"Are you going to be in class tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" Buffy said. "Do you want me to accidentally hit Malfoy or something?"

Dawn grinned, but shook her head. "I wouldn't mind learning to fly, though."

Buffy just nodded. Dawn narrowed her eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she said.

"Yeah," Buffy sighed. "I've just been having strange dreams is all."

"Slayer dreams?" Xander asked.

"Are you going to die again?" Anya asked. "Because that makes Xander sad, and he doesn't want to have sex."

Buffy frowned. "I don't think so," she said, "Nothing happens in the dream. I'm just walking along this corridor. I always wake up before I get to the end, it's kind of frustrating."

"Do you think you should talk to Giles?" Spike asked.

"Nah," Buffy said, with believable nonchalance. "I still don't what it's about."

"So we still don't know anything," Anya said. "How are we supposed to be helpful?"

"There's a prophecy," Buffy said, quietly. "We keep the kid alive until he can face the big bad and kill him. I think, anyway. For the rest, you learn magic, I dream about corridors and Giles pretends to be evil."

"He gave Harry detention," Dawn said. "With Snape," she added.

Xander growled. Both Willow and Tara frowned and Spike punched the arm of his chair. Buffy sighed and closed her eyes.

But Anya said, "Well, that's just as well, isn't it?"

"How?" Dawn demanded. "Snape will be awful. He's missing out on his evening, too."

"Yeah, but if Giles takes Harry for detention, he won't be able to be mean. And if he doesn't give Harry detention, Harry will get suspicious. The kid wears his heart on his sleave, no poked face to speak of. Isn't that why Giles's is pretending to evil in the first place?"

"Poker face, honey," Xander said.

"That's hardly relevant, Xander."

"She does have a point," Willow said.

"Fred and George said he was mean," Dawn said.

"What if they were lying," Spike suggested. "They could pull of anything."

"Yeah, but we still can't talk to Giles, can we?" Buffy said. "I think he's having a hard time being back. I was talking to him over lunch in the Leaky Cauldron."

Buffy fell silent. She was sure, looking back on it, that Giles wanted to know 'what was wrong,' why she wasn't behaving the way she should be. She tapped her fingers on the edge of her chair. Spike gently took her hand and held it between his own. Buffy craned her neck to look at him. He was looking back at her with gentle intensity, she smiled.

The group quietly went over what they knew of what was happening, discussed their day, and what they had learnt.

Dawn loved being included in the meeting. She had been spending most of her time in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione hadn't been happy at first, but decided that Dawn's questions were actually helping the boys remember things, so it was okay. Dawn hadn't ever spent much extended time with the Scooby gang, because they tended to meet up late, and keep her out of the 'nasty stuff.' Also, Spike was still holding Buffy's hand, which was all to the good.

Willow and Xander were arguing about the first time they met, when there was a knock on the door. The argument had started when Spike's painting had told them that everyone had first day nerves and took a few days to settle into a new place, especially a school. Willow, of course, had contradicted him, and Xander had tried to correct her interpretation.

The painting was still goading them when Dawn opened the door to let Hermione and Ginny in.

"No, that was Jesse," Xander said. "He was the one who said that Mrs Felton would get angry."

"Oh, no, it was you," Willow said. "Jesse had run off to pull Harmony's hair. Do you remember how she never came back?"

"See, another one," the painting said.

"You, shut it," Spike said.

"What are they arguing about?" Hermione asked.

"Stuff," Dawn said, with a shrug.

"Who's that?" Ginny asked, nodding towards the painting.

The man in it stepped as close to the surface of the paint as he could and was glaring at Spike. His hair flopped over his forehead, obscuring his eyes. He was leaning on his hands against the inside of the painting and turned a cocky glare at Spike.

Anya gasped. Buffy shared a startled glance with Willow. Spike, who seemed to have a taken a liking to Ginny answered her question.

"He _is_ a right interfering git. But before that he was my brother."

"So kind you were to mother, too," the painting said.

"She would have died soon anyway," Spike said.

He turned back to find everyone staring at him, a mixture of looks from curiosity to horror to amusement.

"What?" he asked, trying as hard as he could to remember how New York Spike would have said it.

He must have remembered, because they all shook themselves out of their shock and turned back to each other. Hermione, Ginny, Anya, Dawn, Tara and Willow sat cross-legged in a circle on the floor to begin their magic lesson. They asked Buffy if she wanted to learn as well, but the Slayer declared herself perfectly happy with her own current super powers.

Xander and Spike got out their Transfiguration textbooks to practice the basic colour and size manipulations, so Buffy got her sketchbook from her room and began to colour in the second page.

"We'll start off slow," Tara said, checking that they were all paying attention. "This sort of magic depends very much on you and your personal state, so you'll need to be able to know who and how you are."

Dawn, Anya and Willow nodded. Hermione looked from Tara to Willow, obviously quite confused.

"Meditation is a journey towards your true self," Willow explained.

She recognised Hermione's expression from her own first forays into Wicca theory.

"This is how both Tara and I began, with the spiritual elements. It lets you find where your power sits inside you. In order to do that, you need to be aware of your whole body, you need to be comfortable with yourself and relaxed."

"Okay, so, ah, close your eyes," Tara began. "Breathe in, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four, five, six. Make sure you breathe right into your diaphragm, as deep as you can. Take the whole count to breathe. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four, five, six."

By eight o'clock they moved on to breathing in through their left nostril and out through the right, then in through the right, out through the left, and feeling their body at each point on the way. Tara made them promise to do at least five minutes every day, and described what they should begin feeling.

Hermione and Ginny left feeling a little giddy. They hugged Dawn goodnight and raced each other back to the common room. Dawn stretched, using some of the forms Buffy had taught her and settled herself next to her sister to see what she was drawing. Buffy closed the sketchbook before Dawn could see.

Anya sat up on her knees and grinned.

"Well, that was kind of sexy," she said.

Willow gave Tara a shy grin.

"Yeah, it kind of is," she said.

Spike suddenly swore. The textbook he had been reading was now a lizard, which was blinking at him stupidly.

"Go Spike," Willow said. "Animation is pretty advanced."

"I just wanted to turn it into a brick," he said, pouting. "I don't know how to turn it back."

"Reficio," Willow said, gesturing at the lizard.

The book returned.

"Oh," Dawn said. "It was kind of cute."

"We can get you a real pet," Buffy said.

Dawn turned wide eyes onto her sister. "Really?"

"Only if you promise to look after it, and all that, that's how it goes, isn't it?"

Dawn squealed and threw her arms around Buffy. Buffy laughed, patting her on the back.

"We can't get one now, though," she said. "What else can we do?"

The group looked at each other. They had spent most nights on their own, or with their respective partners, rather than trying to do something all together.

"I know," Dawn said, suddenly leaping up.

She ran out of the room, and returned a few minutes later with a pack of cards a chess set.

"I remember them," Spike said, staring avidly at the box of chess figures. "Edward's men never liked me much."

"That's because you always lost," Edward said, from his painting.

Dawn, however, opened the pack of cards and began shuffling them.

"We're going to play cards," Willow asked, sceptically.

"They explode sometimes," Dawn said, "it's very funny."

The seven of them arranged themselves in a circle on the floor and played exploding snap, exploding animal snap, and five hundred (Spike played with Dawn) for the next hour or so. In the end Anya just stood up and dragged Xander off to bed. Dawn packed up before disappearing into her room. Tara and Willow wished Buffy and Spike both a goodnight; Spike kissed Buffy gently on the cheek before disappearing himself.


	24. Ron and Dawn get together

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

Author's Notes: This was difficult to write. But I think it was worth it. Many thanks to my beta, Chaos.

Face In The Crowd proposed an challenge early on where Ginny gets a good nickname. I hope this counts as good.

Remember that if there is anything you've always wanted to see in an HP/Buffy crossover, and it hasn't been contradicted yet, you can email me.

* * *

The rest of the week went fairly smoothly. Snape didn't yell at Harry during his detention. In fact, he didn't say anything at all. He merely pointed to the benches, threw Harry a rag and disappeared back into his office.

When Harry returned to the common room at half past nine, Ron was struggling through his potions essay and Hermione and Ginny were talking very quietly beside the fire. Harry watched them for a few minutes until they looked up at him. Ginny blushed and Harry quickly looked away.

He didn't like Ginny, he told himself. He liked Cho, with her shiny black hair, and the way she grinned at him during DA meetings. They would need to have another one of those soon. He wondered if Buffy and the others would be able to join them again

Buffy had been very popular, showing off her fighting skills. And she had had a lot to say about the practicalities of protecting yourself. She'd survived more than Harry on a regular basis, and was actually able to describe the techniques she'd used. Running away was her favourite way of ending a fight. Neville had felt better for that. Harry was also sure that his fellow students had tried harder with an audience.

Harry dragged his own potions text out of his bag and tried to concentrate on writing the essay. As Hermione kept reminding them, the most important thing about this year was OWLs.

The rest of the week continued normally for the school. Snape snarled at people in potions; Dawn followed Ron around to classes; Buffy and Spike helped Hagrid; Willow, Tara and Xander attended classes with the First years and taught Spike what they had learnt in the evenings; and Draco spent the week running into the Gryffindors by accident and glaring at them.

Harry had become quite good at ignoring Draco altogether, but his constant appearances seemed to be irritating Hermione to new lengths.

"There must be another way," Hermione said, muttering at Draco's retreating back after potions on Thursday.

"Another way to do what?" Ron asked.

But Hermione didn't answer. Instead she sat down in the corridor, pulled a book out of her bag and began to look through the index.

"Hermione, lunch?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked up at the three of them, keeping a finger in the book to mark her place. Harry looked concerned. Ron had that adorable 'Hermione's lost it' look on. Dawn held her hand out and Hermione let herself be pulled up. She didn't eat very much at lunch, though, because she spent most of the time glaring at Draco from across the Hall.

Snape sat the teacher's table watching Draco more circumspectly than Hermione was. The boy had been behaving oddly, even for him, this week. The last few days he had become very quiet. He rarely managed to be so fixated on something without vocalising it, either teasing the people involved, or complaining to Crabbe and Goyle. It was habit Snape found particularly annoying. Snape wanted to know where the fire would break out so that he could avoid it.

"What's the matter, Severus?" McGonagall asked.

Snape jerked upright. He stared at her, suspicious of the lack of taunting in her voice.

"Nothing," he replied.

She didn't say anything, but her mouth was set in a thin line. Snape sighed. He'd tried and failed to go up against that look when he was at school, and she was a lot more practiced now. However, so was he.

"You don't know anything," Snape said.

"I know how to turn you into a cauldron," she said. "I'm sure Neville will need a new one soon."

Snape paled. He glared at McGonagall, but she could see that he was mildly impressed by her threat.

"You think Mister Malfoy poses a threat?"

"Something's bothering him, he's calculating. Once he has finished the reckoning, someone will get the bill."

Snape looked like he had swallowed bubotuber puss. Explaining himself to a Gryffindor was demeaning enough.

"And how do you know all that?" McGonagall asked, politely neutral.

She was sure that it was a characteristic that Draco had inherited from one of his parents, and she was not going to let a chance to tease Severus about his past slide by.

Snape looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"His aunt was exactly the same."

Under normal circumstances McGonagall would have pushed him. She would have asked which aunt, and exactly how Snape knew what he did. She was certainly curious, but Snape was wearing a look she hadn't seen since the night he had first arrived at the Order. The one that said he knew that he was worthless.

"Dumbledore has arranged another meeting after supper," she said quietly.

Snape nodded both his understanding of the message and gratitude for the change in topic.

"I see you have once again out manoeuvred our potions master," Dumbledore whispered along the table at McGonagall.

He mimed a cauldron, so she would understand. But she turned an elegantly blank look at him. He reached forward and took of her hands between his own.

"I am sorry, Minerva," he said.

She sniffed haughtily.

"I think there is something wrong with the elder Miss Summers," she said.

Dumbledore looked down the table and little blonde woman. She certainly looked better than she had when she had arrived. The time in the sun with Hagrid was doing wonders for her. Maybe Minerva was right, though, Dumbledore didn't know much about Slayers, but he didn't think she'd tried to slay anything while she was here, and hadn't seemed to be interested in the Forest. People rarely let their instincts and skills lay dormant. Perhaps he could ask Hagrid to talk to the Centaurs on her behalf, they might know more about her.

He didn't need to reply to McGonagall's change of subject, because she too, was focused again on her food. Dumbledore surveyed the hall. Most students were chatting with their friends while they ate. Some were glaring at others across the hall. The Headmaster sighed happily at such carefree displays of youth.

**…**

Things were not so content on Friday morning. Apparently Draco had had enough of quietly seething at Hermione. He was waiting out side the Great Hall for the three Gryffindor perfects and their Muggle pet to arrive for breakfast. He deliberately ran into Hermione and snarled "get out of my way, Mudblood," at her. Hermione pushed Ron, Dawn and Harry forward and turned calmly to face Draco.

He stared down his nose at her. Hermione stood up straighter to look back at him. They were standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, backed by friends. Hermione had Harry, Ron and Dawn, and Draco had Pansy and Blaise. Neither of them could act with so many teachers watching, but the first one to acknowledge that fact was going to be the loser.

Buffy arrived before the air between them actually froze, but she shivered.

"Ah, guys?"

She waved a hand between them and they both blinked. Hermione blushed. Draco turned away in a swirl of black. Dawn caught Buffy's eye and rolled her own. Buffy grinned.

"You can go and sit down now," Buffy said.

She watched the four of them leave, glad that Dawn had friends her own age. Spike came up behind her and she grinned at him too. He looked at her suspiciously and she almost chuckled. At the Slytherin table Draco was still glaring at Dawn and her new friends. Buffy wondered how soon it would erupt, and whether she would be there to see it.

The storm broke on Saturday. Dawn arrived, refreshed, at breakfast. Harry and Hermione were already there. Ron joined them before Draco appeared and set about silently demolishing a plate of bacon and eggs.

"What are we going to do today?" Dawn asked.

"I was going to work on my Arithmancy essay," Hermione said.

Ron and Harry both looked at her like she was mad. She looked back calmly. The day was clear, but cold, and spending it in the tower beside the fire wasn't an unpleasant idea.

"I think you should teach me how to ride a broom," Dawn told Ron.

Harry suppressed a grin. He and Ron had had something of a talk the previous evening about Dawn. It went pretty much along the lines of Harry telling Ron that if he liked Dawn he should go for it. Ron had blushed, but not as deeply as he was now. He seemed unable to speak.

"You don't have any other plans?"

Ron shook his head.

"Great," Dawn said.

"Harry's broom's better," Ron spluttered.

"Faster?" Dawn asked.

Harry nodded.

"I think I'll play it safe," Dawn smiled. "This being my first time and all."

Ron swallowed and hastily took another bite of toast. Dawn grinned, uber-pleased with herself. Hermione was struggling not to laugh outright at the look on Ron's face.

Ginny joined them and the rest of the Scooby gang at the Quidditch pitch, although Buffy claimed that she was only there to catch people when they fell off.

"I'll be fine," Dawn had tried to tell her.

"What about him?" Buffy asked, nodding to Ron.

Dawn looked back at him and blushed. Buffy raised an eyebrow. She hadn't missed the fact that Dawn seemed to have been following Ron rather than his friend around the school.

"Come on, Dawn," Harry called.

"You aren't going to try, love?" Spike asked.

"Do you remember my speech last night?" Buffy asked. "The perfectly happy with my own superpowers speech."

Spike scoffed. "A sentence isn't a speech. And it's not a superpower, it's a broom."

"I'll go no higher than my legs can send me, thank you very much," Buffy said.

Spike shrugged a 'your loss,' and walked across the pitch to where Ron was laying out the school's brooms. Buffy went to sit in the stands. Hermione went to stand beside the broom next to Tara, who was looking apprehensively at the piece of wood at her feet.

"It's not too bad," Hermione said.

Willow and Tara both looked at her.

"I'm not very good at it," Hermione confessed. "But Ron and Harry are, you saw them. And Ginny flies a lot when her brothers aren't using their brooms."

Ron coughed nervously. Hermione turned to him, expectantly. Dawn was looking interested, Ginny amused. Ron tried to remember how Harry had wormed his way out of actually standing in front of everyone.

"If you really want to fly, it should be easy," he began.

He looked nervously at Hermione, who tried to smile encouragingly.

"Okay, just hold your hand out over your broom and say 'up.'"

Everyone did so. Hermione's broom rose slowly, and she gripped it with white knuckles. Tara's broom leapt slightly, Willow's rolled over. Anya's didn't do anything, but Dawn, Spike and Xander were each now clutching a broom, ready to mount.

Ron stepped forward to help Dawn, Spike and Xander. Ginny stepped up beside Anya, who was glaring at the twigs and wood at her feet.

"Say it again," she said.

Hermione was staring dumbly at her broom. She had barely managed ever to get a broom into the air, and certainly not on her first go. She looked over at Dawn and Ron and decided that jealousy was an amazing motivator.

Tara and Willow both tried again, with better success. Eventually they were able to climb on their brooms the way Hermione showed them and kick off into the air with Anya and the others.

The three of them and Anya followed Ginny in a few practice moves across the pitch. Willow led the way over to Buffy, who was leaning against the edge of the stands. She grinned as her friend approached.

"Go, Willow. You're a real witch now."

"I wasn't a real witch before?" Willow pouted.

"Of course you were. But now we've got brooms, and wands," Tara said.

She almost slid off her broom as she turned to face back across the pitch. Buffy grabbed the heavier woman and held her up until the broom steadied again. Ron was just coming back with a large box under his arm. Ginny's eyes widened.

"I'm going over there," she announced, and took off.

Anya, Hermione, Tara and Willow were left hovering around Buffy's head and watching the impromptu Quidditch game. Ron had brought out three Quaffles. Spike was particularly excited and he seemed more animated than Buffy could remember him being since Drusilla had left. At least this time the animation was sport, and not death, related.

Ron looked over to the girls at the edge of the pitch.

"Do you want to learn some Quidditch?" he yelled at them.

They waved the suggestion away and Ron shrugged with the obvious air of someone who didn't understand, but wouldn't argue. The rest of them divided into pairs; Ron and Dawn, Harry and Xander, Ginny and Spike; to practice basic passes.

Both Harry and Ron were surprised at how proficient Ginny's Quaffle handling skills were. Spike was enthusiastic and Ginny was giggling at him, and kept having to throw her hair back over her shoulder.

Dawn threw the Quaffle back to Ron, but as he wasn't really paying attention to her, it hit him in the side of his head. He jerked backward in shock and unseated himself from his broom.

'Everything looks different upside down,' he thought vaguely, as his legs instinctively crossed to keep himself from falling. His arms wouldn't quite reach the broom handle, and every flailing attempt to reach it just made it more difficult. The broom seemed to take his sudden shifts in weight as a command and he was getting dangerously close to falling off the front of his broom.

Dawn flew up underneath him and grinned at him, upside-down.

"Sorry about that," she said.

Ron let his arms fall above his head. And glared at her. Dawn grinned wider. She very carefully took her hands off her broom and grabbed Ron around the middle. He uncrossed his legs and plonked onto her broom. It too started to slide, but Dawn reached around him to grab the handle and bring the pile of wood back under control.

Ron looked up at his broom, which was just sitting in the air, now, looking slightly guilty. He snatched at it and Dawn had to catch him from falling off again.

"Would you stop doing that?" she said.

Ron blushed. His entire head turned red in embarrassment. The sudden heat in his body was not helped by how close he was sitting to Dawn. Dawn was still smiling broadly. She leant forward and gently kissed Ron on the nose.

"I want you both down here right now!" Buffy yelled.

Dawn glanced down, saw Buffy's furious face and blushed. She glanced around quickly and everyone else looked away, grinning slightly. Ron grabbed onto her shoulders as she pointed the broom towards the ground. Buffy was there when they dismounted, but seemed unable to say anything.

Xander cuffed Ron on the back of the head. Harry landed, Ron's broom in one hand and dropped it on the ground. Ron found himself standing in the middle of a large group of people, some of whom were angry and most of whom were amused.

"Now, that wasn't my fault," Ron said.

"No, it was definitely Dawn who decided to risk her neck to save yours," Buffy said, glaring at her sister.

Ron started to protest on Dawn's behalf. But Dawn didn't feel like watching him be eaten alive by a Vampire Slayer, so she kissed him instead. It wasn't a grand, deep, passionate kiss. She merely stood up on her toes slightly and pressed her lips to his.

Whatever reaction Buffy, or anyone else, might have had was interrupted by another voice saying:

"Well done, Weasel."

The entire group turned to face Malfoy. He looked particularly pale in his black robes, and seemed unperturbed by the glares he was getting.

"I mean I knew Muggles were easier to catch than Quaffles, but that wouldn't mean much to you."

Ron turned bright red again, this time with anger. Dawn was all too aware that she didn't have a wand, although Xander and Harry had drawn theirs, and Willow had clenched her fists. Buffy was closest to Malfoy and turned a dead cold glare on him. He didn't blink, having dismissed Buffy as another Muggle.

Two people shouted together, before anyone else, and two flashes of light hit Malfoy. His face erupted in several large flapping things. He tried to bat them off, but he was shaking too hard. Hermione stalked up to him, wand still pointing at his chest and pushed him over. He lay on the ground, quivering, as the group gathered around and poked him with their boots.

Ginny giggled and Harry flashed her a grin. He stepped up beside Buffy to check out what was wrong with Malfoy's face.

"What hex did that?" he asked.

Ginny wormed her way in beside him.

"Bat-Bogey," she said. "Rachel and I have been practicing them for a couple of years now."

'Rachel?' Harry connected the name to the little dark haired girl he'd seen Ginny studying with.

"So you're like Batgirl?" Spike asked.

Ginny looked confused for a moment. Harry grinned, so she grinned too. Malfoy groaned. Buffy leant and picked him up. He glared at her through the flapping things on his face and continued to jiggle around uncontrollably.

"Can you get back to the school on your own?" she demanded.

"Yes," Draco said. He managed to sneer despite his condition.

"If you even think of insulting my sister or her friends again, I will personally beat you into a bloody pulp, as will the rest of us."

Buffy gestured to the group assembled. Draco nodded. Buffy dropped him back on the ground and he scrambled away.

"That was fun," Harry said, watching Draco head towards the castle.

Buffy turned to face him and grinned at the awed expression on Harry's face. He grinned back, his green eyes sparkling from behind his glasses and his scar just visible from beneath his fringe.

Buffy felt a wave of frustrated anger rise in her at the sight of the boy in front of her. In a flash she wanted to wrap her hands around his throat and sink her teeth into him, in a non-good way. She blinked, suddenly faced with a shocked teenager. Spike had a hand on her arm, preventing her from actually raising her wrist.

The entire assembled group were watching her warily. She could see Anya leaning over to ask Xander what had happened, and Willow reassuring Dawn with a hand on her shoulder. Buffy took steps backward into Spike, who collected her in his arms.

Slowly the group broke up and the tension dissipated. Xander helped Ron collected the Quaffles and Anya and Willow gathered most of the brooms together, including Spike's. Harry was still watching Buffy nervously. Buffy tried to smile. It didn't look like was working so she turned her attention to Dawn.

"You and I are going to have a talk," she said.

Dawn grinned cheekily and took her own broom back to the shed. Spike's arms were still holding her close. He leant over her shoulder.

"What happened, pet?"

"I need to talk to Giles," Buffy told him.

Spike nodded gently and ushered Buffy back up to the school. Harry followed, carrying his Firebolt and trying to work out what was going on.


	25. Buffy and Dawn talk about Ron

Disclaimers, etc, see part one.

Author's Notes: I'm writing a novel this month. And next months I'm going to Europe. So this is the last chapter for a while, my apologies. I had hoped to write more to have a back log, but it didn't work out.

New Challenge from CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: Giles/Tonks.

Challenges met this chapter:

Anya, upset by the books from Flourish and Blotts decides to write her own book on vengeance demons to set the record straight. Xander is weirded out, but supportive.

Challenges for the next couple of chapters:

Willow and Tara build a wand.

Snape gives Buffy Veritaserum, but doesn't learn more than that she was in heaven.

There are problems from the black family about Xander marrying Anya.

* * *

* * *

Buffy spent lunch ignoring Spike's questions about when she would go to see Giles. In order to alleviate some of the guilt she felt for that, she decided to make good on her other promise, and got up from the table early to speak to Dawn. Anya hurried past her as she walked towards the Gryffindor table, and waved to Dawn on her way.

Dawn waved back, a little perplexed, then smiled at her sister.

"Hi all," Buffy said, aiming for bright and cheerful.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all smiled at her in greeting as well, and Buffy smiled slightly in return. They seemed liked good kids, and she was glad the Dawn had made friends here, but she didn't have much energy for other people.

"You said we could talk," Buffy reminded Dawn.

Dawn grimaced, but she didn't make an excuse.

She said, "I'll see you guys later," to her friends, and kissed Ron lightly before following her sister out of the Hall.

They walked in silence almost all the way to back to their rooms, along the ground floor corridor, until Dawn stopped suddenly and Buffy turned around to face her.

"This talk," Dawn said, "It's not The Talk, is it? Because I got that from mom years ago."

"Years ago?" Buffy repeated, distracted by absurdity.

"Yeah. You know, when you and Angel, and Angel…"

"Right," Buffy said. "Okay. No, it's not that talk. Do you think we'll need chocolate?"

Dawn just looked blank for a moment.

"I still don't really know what we're talking about," she said. "But Harry told me how to get to the kitchens."

"Lead on, MacDuff," Buffy said, waving her arms in a magnanimous gesture.

Dawn turned and led the way back through the castle towards the Hufflepuff corridor.

"You're in an odd mood today," she said.

Buffy just shrugged.

"What happened on the Quidditch pitch?"

Buffy shrugged again. "I don't know," she said. "Slayer-like stuff really. I told Spike I'd go to see Giles."

"You don't think you should?" Dawn asked.

She was surprised, because surely everyone always wanted to talk to Giles when something was going wrong.

"He's got that whole 'don't talk to me, I'm evil' plan going on," Buffy said.

She hated how petulant she sounded, but she couldn't think of a way to successfully change the topic. Dawn shrugged.

"I wouldn't care about that. He's an okay teacher. Maybe you could pretend that you were worried about him teaching about things I'm not ready to know."

Buffy snorted at that. Dawn grinned over her shoulder. They had reached the dark corridor underneath the Great Hall and Buffy looked around nervously. Dawn marched along until she came to the painting of the fruit and the ticklish pear.

"That's just creepy," Buffy said.

"I think it's cute," Dawn said, looking at it for a moment.

She opened the door and led Buffy into the brightly lit and crowded kitchen.

"Hello, young Misses, how can we be helping you?" a bright, little voice said from somewhere waist high.

Buffy raised her eyes at the small, demon looking creature, who seemed to be wearing a tea towel. Dawn took the appearance of the creature more in stride.

"Do you have chocolate?" Dawn asked.

"Which sort of chocolate would you like, Miss?" the House-elf asked. "We is making chocolate mouse and chocolate cakes and chocolate biscuits and chocolates."

Dawn looked at Buffy, but Buffy was looking around the busily working little creatures and didn't respond.

"Ah, can we have a little of everything?" Dawn asked.

"Certainly Miss, in a minute Perry will have that for you," the House-elf said.

He bowed before hurrying off to make up a basket of food. Buffy watched him go with a bemused expression.

"Is something wrong, Miss?" another elf asked.

"You're all happy here?" Buffy asked.

The House-elf look mildly suspicious, and also a little scandalised.

"I is working, Miss. Of course I is happy."

Most of the kitchen was involved in clearing away the remnants of lunch and washing the dishes. Others were beginning to prepare parts of what would become dinner — carving large pieces of meet, washing potatoes, laying out the vegetables for the soups.

"You wouldn't rather be… outside?" Buffy asked.

She glanced uneasily at the ceiling.

"We is going outside sometimes to collect the vegetables, Miss," the elf replied. "We is going outside when we is needing to, Miss."

"Don't you do anything you want to?"

The House-elf definitely looked scandalised now, and also little angry. "We is working, Miss, that is what we want to do."

Buffy looked around at the efficient organization of such a large group of beings. Each was working on some task, and could worry about that particular thing, because that's what needed doing.

"Must be nice," Buffy said.

The House-elf beamed. "It is, Miss. Headmaster Dumbledore is a very good master."

Buffy nodded politely. Perry returned with a basket full of chocolate things and handed it to Dawn.

"Here you are, Misses, enjoy your snack."

"We will, thank you, Perry," Dawn said.

Perry beamed as he waved to Dawn and Buffy and they escaped the kitchen to head once more towards their rooms. Buffy stretched her shoulders as they reached above ground again.

"How are you finding school?" she asked.

Dawn looked at her suspiciously.

"It's good," she said. "I'm learning heaps."

"You should probably be going to a normal school," Buffy told her.

"No I shouldn't," Dawn said. "I'm hardly normal, am I? Willow and Tara think I could do magic. And I'm learning some here. And Willow's translating the classes for me; Transfiguration into Physics, Potions into Chemistry."

"Alright, I won't send you home," Buffy said, knowing full well that she would never have gotten away with the idea in the first place. "You don't miss television?"

Dawn actually looked confused for a moment.

"No," she said, and chuckled. "I can't even remember what was on. What about you, though? Do you like it here?"

Buffy nodded. "I do," she assured Dawn. "The air's good, if a bit cold. And Hagrid is a bit crazy. Spike's behaving himself. You're happy, Willow's finally learning magic properly, Xander has a good family."

"What about you, though?" Dawn insisted. "You're happy, aren't you?"

Buffy smiled in what she hoped was a convincing manner. It didn't hurt as much to be 'back' as it had, but she wasn't up to singing about the world just yet.

"We were going to talk about you and Ron," she said.

Dawn scowled. "I don't see what there is to say," Dawn said.

"You were much more willing to talk earlier today," Buffy reminded her.

"I thought you'd forget if I didn't make a fuss," Dawn said, sullenly.

Buffy laughed out loud.

"Your room or mine?" she asked, when they made it back to their common area.

"Mine," Dawn decided.

She pushed the door open and walked across the room to deposit the basket of chocolate goods on her desk. Then she removed her shoes so she could walk on the carpet. Hunting through the basket she found two little bowls of chocolate mousse, and threw one to Buffy. She took the second one, and two spoons over to the bed and climbed up to sit against the headboard. Buffy took a spoon, and joined Dawn on the bed, leaning against one of the foot posts. She looked at her dessert as if she didn't know what to do with it.

"So talk," Dawn said.

"How's Harry?" Buffy asked.

Dawn wanted to roll her eyes. But she thought that maybe Buffy deserved a bit of a break for being interested, not embarrassing, and for not making her take real school classes.

They chatted for a while about general things — how Harry was, how the D.A was going, how smart Hermione was, what a brilliant game Quidditch was, and whether Ginny really did still like Harry — while they ate their way through the picnic basket.

"Hermione told me she did, but now she's got a real boyfriend," Dawn said. "She watched him all through Quidditch, though," Dawn added, in an authoritative tone.

Buffy, mulled by the copious amounts of chocolate, raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you noticed," she said.

Dawn blushed.

"So you do really like him?" Buffy pressed.

"I thought you said this wasn't the Talk," Dawn said.

"It's not," Buffy sighed. "It's the other talk."

Dawn thought for a moment, and when she worked out what Buffy meant, she was mildly surprised.

"I like him. He likes me. We've been together for half a day, and it's good so far. There's not much more to it than that."

Buffy waited.

"That's what you want me to say, isn't it? I don't expect more from it, Buffy. I'm fourteen and a half, he's almost a year older than me. It's not some grand romance, we're not old enough. And he's not a vampire," she added.

Buffy threw her spoon across the bed, for lack of anything more appropriate.

"Promise me you won't get hurt."

Dawn sighed dramatically. She pressed one hand over her heart. "I promise I won't get hurt."

"He's still your first boyfriend," Buffy said.

"I think he'll be a good one," Dawn declared.

Buffy smiled, then, glad that Dawn had assumed that Ron wouldn't be her only boyfriend.

"Speaking of boyfriends and vampires," Dawn went on.

"Don't," Buffy said.

Dawn pouted. "But you mentioned him in the list of good things."

"I said he was behaving himself," Buffy said. "He only came along because… well."

Dawn raised a very suggestive eyebrow. Buffy glared. She had accepted Spike insisting on his own coming because he was the only she had been able to tell about where she'd been. And she'd only been able to tell him because she didn't care what he thought, or how she treated him.

"Anyway, aren't we forgetting the disaster that is my love life, or the soulless monster that is Spike?"

"He really likes you," Dawn said.

"Angelus spent a lot of time thinking about me, too," Buffy said. "And Riley loved me."

"Now you've gone all bitter."

"Well, you shouldn't have brought it up, should you?" Buffy said.

Dawn waved that criticism away airily.

"You need more chocolate," she declared.

"I honestly don't think I could eat anymore," Buffy said.

"Weakling," Dawn said.

But Buffy ignored her to lie down and stretch herself across the bed. Dawn carefully packed the cutlery and crockery back into the basket and put in on the floor before following suit.

Anya leapt up almost immediately after Buffy left the teachers' table, and as if she had been burned with a poker.

"Anya?" Xander asked.

Anya shook her head, too excited to say that she was too excited to speak. She grin and dashed across the Hall waving to Dawn and her friends with a conspiratorial style wave. Xander shook his own head, giving up once again on trying to puzzle Anya-moments out.

"Bit strange, your bird," Spike said from his right.

Xander sighed. The comment hadn't been ill intended, but Spike's continuing presence, and non-stakeability, still grated on his nerves.

"Why aren't you out killing something?" Xander asked, politely interested. "Is because you've been neutered?"

"Well, it's just no fun anymore," Spike said with a shrug.

He rose gracefully from his seat and sauntered outside. Xander felt a thrill of petty satisfaction at having gotten Spike to leave, despite the trail of ardent gazes the vampire attracted. The lack of any real explanation of who, or what, Spike was had really only added to his allure.

But Xander was really only waiting for Willow to finished her animated discussion with Professor McGonagall. The older witch was taking Willow's babbled comments in stride, and even allowing Tara to have her say in occasional lulls. Xander finally stood up too, and walked over to them.

"So is it enough to convert the fur to feathers?" Willow asked. "Because it seems that if the skin is the same, and the animals are the same size, who will know?"

McGonagall smiled faintly.

"The animal itself knows very well how it is supposed to be. You should be careful, Mr Harris," she added. "Your father tried just the same trick at the end of his third year. You haven't seen a creature try to eat a piece of lettuce when it has wings."

Xander tried to imagine what that would look like. In the end he decided that when he had learnt enough transfiguration he would have to try it just to see. McGonagall seemed to read his thoughts and sniffed disapprovingly as she turned away. But the amusement of the memory detracted a bit from her stern expression.

"You do know you don't have to learn everything at once, Will?" Xander asked, as the three of them started walking towards their rooms.

Willow nodded automatically and Tara grinned fondly.

"Have either of you spoken to Buffy?" Tara asked suddenly.

"What about?" Xander asked.

"Where she was," Tara said.

Both Willow and Xander stopped to look at her. Tara blushed under the scrutiny.

"Something's wrong," she said. "Her aura isn't behaving properly. It's not as connected to here as it should be, especially given who she is. I thought it was just that we brought her back, you know." She shivered at the memory, but went on firmly. "After the Quidditch game, when she almost hit Harry? Something almost had her then. Something was feeding her reactions. The castle should be protecting her from those sorts of intrusions."

"But do you think we can talk to her about it?" Willow asked, dropping her voice as others began to pass them. "I mean it's not an easy thing to bring up in conversation, either 'how horrible was hell?' or 'why did you try to hit the person were supposed to protect?'"

Tara sighed in agreement.

"Spike made her promise that she would go and see Giles," Xander said.

Willow grimaced. "How much is he going to be able to help?" she asked.

It was Xander's turn to sigh. Something strange had happened to Giles, and if it was hurting Buffy when he should have been helping her, then things here were worse than he, Xander, had thought.

They walked the last little way in silence. There was nothing left to say on that topic at least until one of them saw Buffy again, so Willow offered Xander help with his switching spells. Xander narrowed his eyes.

"And just what are switching here?" he asked.

Willow blushed faintly and shot Tara a desperate look. But Tara, for once, was unflustered. She held the door to their room open for both Willow and Xander to enter. The girls' room was an almost exact replica of Xander and Anya's; except that it was green, and had some obviously Willow and Tara touches; like the string of lights around the bed and collection of crystals on one of the bedside tables.

Tara took a spot cross-legged on the floor. Xander leant against the bottom of the window seat.

"So teach me," he said.

Willow rolled her eyes, and shared another exasperated look with her girlfriend. But Tara's look seemed to say that Willow had taken on the task of training Xander, and it was therefore her own fault.

Willow sat down in one movement.

"Now what do you remember?" she asked.

Willow always insisted on lessons being an hour and half, at least. Because that's how long real classes were, and you were supposed to study as long as you had learnt, or some such nonsense. Xander didn't really mind, though. He was good at this, and Willow was a very good teacher. It reminded of him some of the good times they'd had at school. And when he successfully switched the ears off the mouse Willow transfigured and onto a bar of soap he began to feel that he might actually be able to help in this fight.

Willow giggled at the ears wiggling at the end of the pink, lavender scented soap. Xander had a silly grin on his face, too. Tara patted the bald looking mouse. She switched the ears back and the mouse immediately looked happier.

Xander pulled himself to his feet.

"Thanks, Willow," he said.

Willow waved him away with a grin.

"If you studied more, you wouldn't so much help," she called his retreating back.

Xander turned around long enough to shrug in response to the idea as he pushed the door open. He crossed the empty Common Room and pushed the door open, still wearing his silly grin. He was greeted by the astonishing site of Anya sitting in the middle of their bed surrounded by sheets of parchment. She was writing from an inkbottle carefully nestled in the folds of the blankets.

"Ahn, honey?" Xander asked.

Anya finished writing the sentence she was on and looked up at him, grinning broadly.

"I'm writing a book Xander," she said. "About Vengeance demons, and how people really did make those wishes. And about our culture, and society, and how wonderful D'Hoffryn is."

Xander stood blinking stupidly. He couldn't really conceive what such a book would be like, or who might read it, or how bored Anya had been to take up the idea in the first place.

"D'Hoffryn's a demon," he said.

Anya shrugged. "So was I. So are most of who I'll be talking to about this. Hallie is usually in England this time of year. I think we should visit your father. You can spend the day with him, and I will meet with Hallie, I think we should go in the next few days, maybe Monday. Certainly before school finished."

"Okay," Xander said.

He tried to read one of the pages, but Anya leapt across the bed to snatch it away from him.

"You don't get to read it till it's finished," she said. "And you don't get to say anything about it either!"

"I wasn't going to," Xander assured her.

"Well, that's okay then," Anya said. She eyed him suspiciously. "Weren't you doing some sexy magic practice with Willow and Tara."

Xander tried not to choke at her choice of words. "I though I could spend some time with you instead," he said.

Anya very carefully cleaned her quill on a scrap of parchment and stoppered the inkbottle before dumping everything unceremoniously onto the floor. She grinned impishly at Xander, who tried out a rakish grin in response.

"How long do we have until dinner?" she asked.

"Hours," Xander said, pretty much failing to achieve nonchalance.

Snape tended to billow along corridors, just out of habit. It did tend to intimidate people, at least the first years, and hide any other emotions his carriage might betray. He swept through the halls after lunch towards his private rooms and slammed the door once he was inside.

The Veritaserum was bubbling along nicely. If the girl's own friends were worried about the secrets she was keeping, and if she was a danger to Potter, then it was his duty to find out what was going on. And what her relationship to Rupert Giles might be.

Snape had met Ripper once, when he and an even shiftier friend had arrived at his father's house for a 'meeting.' Snape, at ten, had been aware enough of what was going on to be wary and contemptuous of the strange young men in Muggle clothes.

What he was doing here, now, working for the Ministry and in the company of William the Bloody, was another question Snape felt he would like an answer to. Snape was quite adept at getting answers; and the girl was the weak link between them.

He worked his way through a pile of third year essay and a jar of red ink while he mulled over what he had learnt in the previous few days.

His thought processes were interrupted after several hours by a tentative knock on the door.

"Come," he said tersely.

The door opened slowly and silently. Snape looked up from the essays, surprised to see Draco standing nervously at his threshold. Students rarely came near his private quarters, but Draco had never been so wary.

"Mr Malfoy," Snape drawled.

Draco stepped across the cold floor and sat on the edge of the visitors' chair.

"Did you have a particular question, Mr Malfoy?"

"Do you know Professor Giles, sir?"

"He has been on the staff for almost two weeks," Snape said.

'Really only that long?' he thought to himself. Hopefully the rest of he term would be easier than the last week had been. He watched the boy carefully. Draco can't have come for the answer he had just received.

"Before he arrived now," Draco said. "I know a little about the others. They are in some classes, but Professor Giles is even less approachable than you."

Snape allowed the jest a blank look.

"I met him once, many years ago. I met 'Spike' as well. Both at my father's house."

Draco understood the code as referring to an 'official' meeting, and nodded. Snape saw the boy take all the evidence on board, add it together and reach a resolution.

"Thank you, Professor," Draco said.

"Is there are reason you wished to know specifically?" Snape asked, making sure he sounded annoyed rather than curious.;

"My father has been asking, sir."

"Of course," Snape said. "Anything else?"

"No, sir," Draco said.

He nodded briefly as he stood to leave. Snape had already turned back to the papers on his desk. Draco closed the door carefully and walked along the dark corridor alone. Gregory and Vin had stayed in the Common Room to study rather than go anywhere near Snape's office.

So both Giles and Spike had had association with the Death Eaters. That explained why Giles, who had newly returned to the Wizarding world, had severed ties with the people he had known. Which meant that either Spike had changed more than the Professor, or was working as a spy. Unless there was something more complicated going on, Draco reminded himself. Unless there was more of a connection between Dawn, and therefore Potter, and the new Professor than the fact that they had know each other in a small town in America.

Draco punched the wall. He cursed Potter. If it weren't for his bloody parents' bloody stupid sacrifice, Draco would have had a very comfortable life as a Slytherin. Instead he was reduced to worrying about his enemies and their strange friends.


End file.
